Fallen Tears of an Angel
by Starheart
Summary: An evil presence from the past had kidnapped Yugi and some of the others. Now, Yami and the remaining ones must find out what he is up to and recue their friends before he strikes again, but not everyone is who they seem...SUSPENDED.
1. The Dream

Disclaimer: Yu-gi-oh belongs to some rich dude, and although I wish it was me, it's not. Got it? 

Me: Hi peeps! I'm new to ff.n and I'm just getting used to it. Anyways, this is my first fic eva so I decided to make it Yu-gi-oh because I love the show so much! So pleez review and tell me how it is! 

Just so you know, whenever you see a comment in parentheses with little stars next to it (points to first part of name) that's just me talking (as if you couldn't figure that out -_-). Example: (*comment*) 

Also, sorry if I borrowed any comments etc. from anyone. I read so many Yu-gi-oh fics I don't remember anymore. 

Note: This is based off the dubbed U.S. version so pleez tell me if anything is wrong! Thanx! ^_^ 

Now on with the fic! 

**_Chapter 1: The Dream_**

****************************************************************************** 

"…and to do this, you must write an equation…" 

Yugi moaned. It was another boring day in math class, and for the past half-hour, he had been staring at the clock, waiting for it to end. "Just another 10 minutes…" he thought. 

The hands on the clock were so rhythmical, ticking every second, going around an endless circle forever and ever… 

//_Yugi!//_ said a voice in his head. 

"As I was saying, Mr. Mutou, could you please tell me the answer to the question?" The whole class turned around to look at him, each student looking as exhausted as he was. "Um…" 

Just then the bell rang. Yugi sighed as the students piled to get out the door, eager to go home, being as it was the end of the day. "Phew." Thought Yugi. As soon as he stood up, two of his best friends came over to him. 

"Tat was a close one Yug," said the familiar Brooklyn accent of Joey. "I thought you weren't going to get that one." 

"Oh, like you could?" mocked Tristan, Yugi's other friend. Yugi could only sweatdrop as Joey tackled him to the floor. 

"Um guys, maybe this isn't the best place to do this…" he whispered, nodding his head to the math teacher, who had his back turned. "Point taken." They both said, and the three of them headed for the door. Waiting outside was an impatient Tea, looking fumed. "What takes you so long? I've been waiting here forever, I thought you left without me, and you're **STILL IN THE CLASSROOM!**" 

"Sheesh Tea, it's only been like 30 seconds, and you call that long? Man, you better get that clock straight in your head." Replied Tristan. 

Tea took a deep breath. "Sorry, I just have a lot of homework (*don't we all?*) and I'm in a very bad mood. 

"Eh, tat's okay," said Joey. "We'll forgive you… today." Tea glared. "Could we just get our stuff from our lockers and get out of here?" asked Yugi. He already had a headache from math class, and he didn't plan on doubling it. 

"Good idea." Said Tristan quickly, not wanting to get between another one of those all-too-popular Joey/Tea fights again. They agreed, said goodbye, and went their separate ways, Tea still glaring at Joey. 

"Hi Grandpa!" yelled Yugi after reaching his home, the Turtle Game Shop, closing the jingling door behind him. "Good afternoon Yugi, how was school?" questioned and old voice, belonging to Yugi's grandpa. 

"Okay, I guess." Came a tired but simple reply, as Yugi passed Grandpa and headed for the living quarters of the shop, closing the door dividing both parts with a soft click. "Okay Yami, you can come out now." 

The golden Millennium Puzzle around his neck glowed as a figure emerged from it. It wasn't a real person, but rather an ancient spirit, named Yami, whose job was to protect Yugi at all costs. Yami stretched, then yawned. "Do you have any idea what it's like being cramped in a stupid puzzle all morning? For one thing, it hurts your back." Yugi just smiled and plopped on the couch. Yami decided to annoy Yugi some. "Hey Yugi, does someone have a crush? I saw you looking at Tea today…" 

"I was not!" exclaimed Yugi, turning a deep violet. (*He's so cute when he does that!*) "I was just… oh, why do I have to explain this to you?" 

"Because you're my hikari, and you tell me _everything._" Grinned Yami. Yugi shrugged. "Why bother?" he said, which made him smile. They looked at each other, amusement in their faces, and burst out laughing, Yugi's face still violet. (* ^_^ *) 

Suddenly, Yami stopped laughing. He looked around, searching as if. 

"What is it Yami?" asked Yugi, his voice, once so happy, now filled with fear. 

"I feel something nearby, something evil," Yugi whimpered. "Don't worry, my aibou, nothing will harm you while I'm here." 

However, Yugi didn't look too convinced, so Yami came over and sat next to him. "I promise Yugi." 

Yugi looked into those red (*???*) caring eyes, that hard face that he trusted so much. (*Read the genre. NO ROMANCE! I don't think I could ever write one of those; the characters would end up marrying themselves or something…*) Even he knew that when Yami made a promise, he would do anything to keep it. He hugged Yami, and Yami returned the hug, both knowing that whatever evil came their way, they would beat it. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* 

Yugi got ready for bed; it had been a long day and he had to get up early, for it was Thursday night. Climbing into his bed, he said goodnight to a watchful Yami and turned off the lamp. Yami looked at his light. 'Such a peaceful little angel' he thought before returning to the Millennium Puzzle. What he didn't know, however, was that this light would not sleep so soundly. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* 

Yugi opened his eyes and found himself in a dark alley. "Yami?" he mentally whispered. Not hearing him, Yugi decided the best thing to do would be to and look for him in his soul room. After walking in his other's swirling darkness and finding nothing, Yugi started to panic. Where was Yami? He should have been in the puzzle, right there with him. But then he looked down, and to his horror, it wasn't there. Just then, Yugi saw a bright light in front of him. 'Maybe that's Yami and the Millennium Puzzle' he thought hopefully, although highly doubting it. He started running towards it, but when he saw what it was, he nearly fainted. 

It was Yami and the Millennium Puzzle, except that one thing was different. Yami was sprawled out on the ground, and he wasn't moving. Yugi knelt down next to his dark side and trembled. "Y-Yami?" But Yami didn't answer. Then he saw a pair of glowing green eyes and cruel laughter. Realization hit him. "No, **_YAMI!_**" he screamed at the top of his lungs, at his dead Yami. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* 

"**_YAMI!_**" Yugi's outcry bolted Yami right up and he was at his side in mere seconds. He shook Yugi. "Yugi, Yugi, what's wrong?" 

Yugi opened his eyes, and when he saw who it was, he cried into his other's chest. "Oh Yami, I had a horrible n-nightmare that I was in a d-dark alley and you w-weren't there. Then I saw the M-Millennium P-Puzzle glowing far in f-front of me and a pair of g-glowing green eyes and cruel l-laughter and when I f-found you, y-you w-were…" Yugi just cried harder into Yami's chest. 

"Hush now aibou, it's alright, I'm here, nothing will harm you. Now, please finish what you were saying," 

Yugi shook more violently. "Y-You, y-you w-were… dead! At this remark, Yugi burst out crying. "Oh Yami, I was so scared, I was all alone, I was so afraid." 

Yami rubbed his back and comforted him. As Yugi was calming down, he couldn't help but wonder. First, he feels evil, and then Yugi has this dream. Could this somehow be connected? Could it be true? 

When Yugi finally stopped crying, Yami reminded him, "Remember Yugi, it's only a dream. I'm right here and I always will be." 

"Thank you Yami." Replied Yugi. 

"Always, my light. Now get your rest, you have school tomorrow." Yugi nodded as Yami placed his small head back on the pillow and he soon dazed off. "Goodnight, Yugi." Whispered Yami, and after checking over several times that he was safe, went back into the Millennium Puzzle. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* 

In the dark fog, an icy voice broke the air. "Sleep well, little one, for your troubles are just beginning…" 

****************************************************************************** 

Me: *hides* So how bad was it? I know the beginning was kinda stupid, but was the ending okay? Please review and tell me what you think! 

Oh, and the plot WILL get better, there will be a little mystery as well. So pleez hang with me! 

By the way, what color are Yami's eyes? I can't think right now. Someone pleez review and tell me so I can edit it. 

P.S.– I'm going away this weekend, so if you want me to continue, I'll probably update either Friday or Monday. It's all up to how many reviews I get! So keep clicking that button!

Flames will be used to light the way! ^_~   
  
  
  



	2. Snake Face

Disclaimer: Nope, no ownership here. *mutters* "I wish…"

Me: Wow, I got 10 reviews! I feel so loved! You peoples are awesome! I was sick over the weekend so I didn't go away but I had a boatload of homework to do. But seeing those reviews really made my day! 

_Thank you to:_

Yami Dragoness

RogueFanKC

YamiYugigirl2k (via e-mail)

ShaowKat

Anya

Amiasha

KaTyA

Silver Dragon

maliks gurl

Tjay Motou

for being my first reviewers ever! I luv you people! You each get… *whips out something behind her back* an anti-writers block pen! Congrats! 

Now onto the fic! (Didn't I say that last time?)

**_Chapter 2: Snake Face_**

*******************************************************************************************

Yugi woke up with a start. After finding the culprit, he smashed it with his fist until the ringing stopped (*for those of you who are slow, its an alarm clock*) and rolled over on his side, falling back to sleep. "A few more minutes couldn't hurt…" he murmured.

Out emerged a chuckling Yami, looking tired as well, but certainly not as tired as Yugi. "Oh no you don't." he said as he pulled down the warm cozy covers covering Yugi and pulled him to a sitting position.

"Yami!" grumbled a stubborn Yugi. "I wanted to sleep more!"

"You would have missed school. I know you wouldn't want that."

Finding no reply, Yugi simply sighed as he got ready to take a shower. "That's better." Teased Yami. Yugi rolled his eyes.

After Yugi was in the shower, Yami went down to make breakfast. Seeing Grandpa there drinking coffee, Yami said a quick hello as he got eggs out of the refrigerator.

"Yugi late again?" Grandpa asked.

"Well, you know Yugi. This is early to him."

Grandpa laughed. "Early can be anytime for Yugi."

Yami chuckled. "Too true."

He continued to scramble the eggs he had and put a little bit of cheese in them just the way Yugi liked them (*I like them that way too! ^_^*). He then put them in the microwave and sat down and waited for them to finish.

Just then he felt a surge of evil pass through him, just like the day before. It lingered, only for a second, as if tormenting him, before disappearing completely.

'It might have harmed Yugi!' he thought before racing upstairs ignoring the puzzling looks from Grandpa.

"Yugi!" Yami yelled and burst into the bathroom, but he wasn't there. Panicking, he ran into his room, in hopes of finding him.

Yugi was indeed there, and he looked terrified. He was fully dressed, obviously ready for school, but was curled up in a ball in the corner of his room, shaking, with his eyes plastered shut.

"Yugi, are you okay? What happened?" questioned a worried Yami.

"I j-just got ready for s-school when I felt something e-evil. I looked u-up and I saw a face, the u-ugliest and s-scariest face you c-could imagine Yami, like a s-snake." (*Imagine Voldemort's face from Harry Potter.*)

Yami walked over and hugged Yugi. "I felt it too. It seems that whatever this evil presence is, it's after you, I only feel it because I'm your yami. However, don't dwell on this now Yugi, you'll be late for school. I'm sure it wouldn't dare attack you while you're surrounded by people, and if it does, I'm here." 

Yugi nodded, wiped the tears from his eyes, said thanks to Yami, and went downstairs, still shaken up a bit.

'I hope, Yugi, ' thought Yami. 'I hope.'

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"…and due to our study of ancient civilizations, you will each do a report on a topic I have assigned you."

The class groaned. History projects were always as long as books, and having them explained first period usually didn't help to shorten the length. 

When I call your name, come up and pick the top paper from this pile on my desk." He pointed to the overwhelmingly large stack of papers on it. "On the sheet will be your topic."

"Tea Gardner."

Tea stood up and walked over to the desk in a ladylike fashion, then sat back down.

"Yugi Mutou."

Yugi stood up his small and slender stature and walked to the stack of papers. 'Please be something about ancient Egypt.' He prayed.

He picked up the facedown paper and started walking back towards his seat. He flipped it over to see what topic he got. 'Yes! Ancient Egyptian legends! This should be a piece of cake!' He was so enveloped in his happiness that he nearly missed his seat. It was only with a little push from Yami that he managed to get there.

//Sheesh Yugi, watch where you're going next time.//

/Sorry Yami, I was too caught up in my thoughts./ 

//Let me guess – you got something to do with ancient Egypt and you're going to use me as your own personal cheat sheet again?//

/Boy, did I mention how great you are?/

Yami mentally laughed. //You're certainly a lot perkier than earlier this morning. By the way, have you decided if you are going to tell your friends?// (*Thanks to RogueFanKC. Yes ideas ARE sometimes used in the story*)

/Yeah, I think I'll tell them, after all, if something is after me, they might see it./

//Yugi, I didn't mean to—//

/Oh no, that's okay Yami, I'm going to have to deal with it sooner or later, and my friends have a right to know also./

//…All right, if you're sure. Now pay attention, even if you do have your own built in cheat sheet, it can't give you directions. Unless, that's what you want Tea to do…//

/_YAMI_!/

//Just kidding aibou. I'll close the link until lunch okay?//

/Sure. Adios!/

//Huh?//

/Never mind Yami./

Yugi snapped out of his trance and he started taking down notes, counting down the hours to lunch.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Yugi anxiously waited for his friends at their favorite lunch spot, under the big willow tree in front of the school.

//Are you sure you want to do this Yugi?//

/Yeah I'm sure, don't worry about me./

//Okay…//

"Hey Yugi!" a voice said. Yugi looked up and saw his three best friends walking over to him, waving.

"So Yug, did you get de history project yet?" asked Joey.

"Yeah, I'm doing ancient Egyptian legends."

"How is it tat every project you do is always related ta Egypt? You always have a cheat sheet!

"Just luck I guess."

"I wish I was tat lucky…" Joey muttered. They all laughed.

//Tell them now!//

Yugi got serious. "Hey guys, I need to tell you something, but please don't overreact to it."

"What is it?" questioned Tea curiously, and they all huddled in. 

Yugi took a deep breath. "For the past two days, both myself and Yami have been feeling an evil presence. It seems that every time one of us feels the presence, something bad happens. Last night I had a dark nightmare and just this morning I saw a face, of what I think is the supposed 'presence'. Yami thinks that whatever this thing is, it's after me, and it won't stop until it gets what it wants."

Yugi looked up at his friends. Their faces were filled with horror and concern. "You don't think it would dare attack you, do you?" asked Tea fearfully.

"From what its done so far, I don't think it will let anything get in its way."

It took a minute for the three to digest what information they had just heard. An evil presence, after Yugi? Why? What would be the point of going after something so sweet, so innocent, so pure?

"Well, whatever comes your way, we'll deal with it together." Said Tristan.

"Tat's right, best friends stick together like glue. Dey don't let nothin' get between them."

"Yeah!" cheered Tea.

"Thanks you guys, you're the best." Said Yugi thankfully. He needed everyone's full support if he was ever going to get through this one. 

"No problem." They replied together. (*Okay, getting a little to mushy and serious now.*)

"Now, how 'bout we get back to eatin' lunch and talking 'bout regular stuff?" Joey asked.

Yugi laughed. "Sounds good to me." The other agreed and laughed also. They returned to their lunches and Tea and Joey started fighting again, with Tristan trying to break them up and Yugi sweatdropping. Yes, everything was indeed back to normal.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Yugi's eyes itched with tiredness. Even though his report was due in two weeks (*being Yugi*), he decided to start it early. He was copying down the last legend Yami had told him about: 

_There is one of great and wondrous power_

_He is the chosen one_

_For when evil consumes dark and light cannot prevail_

_He will come_

_With His rivers, He will wash away all evil and reborn the Earth once more_

_However, thou He not succeed, the Earth will crumble_

_And His power will fall to evil once more…_

"Hey Yami?"

"Yes Yugi?"

"Who is the person the Egyptians are talking about?"

"Ah, no one knows the answer. The people believed that when the time came, the savior would come and save them."

"Okay thanks, I can write that down in my report. This cheat sheet rocks!" Yami smiled.

"You look worn out Yugi, you should go to sleep you can work on this tomorrow if want to. Besides, it's a Friday, don't go wasting it on work."

"Well, okay. I _am _tired." Yugi admitted.

"Good. I'm tired too, its been a _very_ long day, wouldn't you agree?" Yugi nodded and headed out of his room downstairs to say goodnight to Grandpa. After doing that he got ready for bed (*Too lazy to list details*) and Yami tucked him in.

"Goodnight Yugi, sweet dreams." Whispered Yami.

"You too." Replied an exhausted Yugi and he soon fell into a deep slumber.

*******************************************************************************************

Me: Okay, I know the ending is really boring but I got writer's block at the end of the chapter and couldn't think of anything. Oh no, the DREADED WRITER'S BLOCK! 0_0

I know I said the plot would kick in it WILL soon but just not this chapter. So pleez don't review and tell me that.

This goes for all of the chapters. If you figure out the riddle PLEEZ DON'T REVIEW WITH THE ANSWER! It would ruin the whole story for a lot of people. Even though it might be confusing now, it will be explained. 

Chow! ^_~ 


	3. Sheantu

Disclaimer- I OWN NOTHING! SO DON'T SUE! Starheart: *Checks review box* Yay! I'm on 4 people's favorites list! And I got 18 reviews, with not one flame! Okay, I know you're not really a writer until you get a flame, but save yourself the trouble and don't send one!   
  
Sorry for such the late update. As I said last chapter, I got writer's block and I just got rid of it yesterday. Also, I had a lotsa homework. (What else is new?) BTW, thanx KaTyA for the gifts! They helped a lot and they're totally stylish! ^_^   
  
This might sound stupid, but I totally forgot to add Seto and Bakura in the fic in the first chapter. I tried to find some way to include them, but I really can't without changing the plot of the story. So sorry to all those Seto and Bakura fans out there!   
  
I feel like such a dolt right now, I forgot to put what symbols mean, so here they are:   
  
//Quotation// - Yami to Yugi through mind talk   
  
/Quotation/ - Yugi to Yami through mind talk   
  
'Thought' - obviously, character thought   
  
~*~* and so on - change of scene   
  
**** and so on - authors notes to story or vise versa   
  
WARNING- Beware of multiple repeating words, bad punctuation, lack of creativity, not enough of annoying author's notes that have absolutely no purpose related to the story, and things not making sense. This is a scary side effect of the evil two words I shan't say.   
  
Now enough criticizing myself- on with the chapter!   
  
************************************************************************   
  
".and that brings your life points down to zero." Smirked a smug Yami.   
  
"Oh man, I was so close to winning that time too!"   
  
"Ha! I am the King of Games!"   
  
"Don't get too cocky, your head might explode."   
  
Yami chuckled. "There's nothing like a duel in the morning, is there?"   
  
"Not for the King of Games." Yugi replied sarcastically. Yami gave him a look, Yugi responding by sticking his tongue out.   
  
"What's the matter, did being a pharaoh take all the fun out of you?"   
  
"Oh, that's it. I'm going to get you now."   
  
Grandpa laughed at the sight of a 5000-year-old pharaoh chasing a 15-year- old kid and losing horribly. "Sometimes those two are too much."   
  
After about a ten-minute chase, Yugi was declared the winner, who was sitting on top of an exhausted Yami and laughing his head off. "Some King of Games you are, you can't even win a simple game of tag!"   
  
"That's very nice Yugi, but can you please get off my stomach?"   
  
"Nope, not until you say it!"   
  
"Oh, but-"   
  
"Nope." Yugi grinned, and Yami groaned.   
  
"Fine. Yugi is the supreme ruler of all games and Yami is the King of Goofs."   
  
"That's better!" said Yugi cheerfully as he rose off of Yami's body.   
  
//King of Goofs? Where did you get that from?//   
  
/Yami, I'm warning you./   
  
//Alright, alright, I'll shut up.//   
  
Yugi shook his head as he got up and headed towards the kitchen where Grandpa was. "Hey Grandpa, can I invite the gang to sleep over?"   
  
Yugi and Yami had already told him about the evil presence, and he was very cautious. "I don't know Yugi, I'm going away this afternoon and I don't want to put anyone else in danger because of this presence."   
  
Yami saw the distraught look on his aibou's face and pitched in. "Don't worry Grandpa, if anything happens, I'm here. Besides, as the saying goes, there's safety in numbers."   
  
Grandpa looked at the pleading face of Yugi and the reassuring face of Yami and he reluctantly chose the only possible answer. "Alright."   
  
"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!" Yugi lurched himself at his grandpa and embraced him in a hug.   
  
Yami got up and stood next to them. "Man, you didn't stand a chance, not with Yugi's puppy eyes. They even work on me."   
  
/You betcha! That's the advantage of being short and cute - you get whatever you want!/   
  
//Though it still hasn't worked on Tea.//   
  
/Be quiet you, I'm enjoying my glory./   
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~   
  
Within a half-hour, Tea, Tristan, Joey, Yugi, and Yami were all in the den of the game shop watching Joey and Tristen duel on the floor. It was very interesting to see, being Joey had placed second in the Duelist Kingdom Championships, and Tristan barely knew what half of the cards did. "And I play da Red Eyes Black Dragon in attack mode!" yelled Joey.   
  
"No!" said Tristen.   
  
"Ha, I am da master! Your life points are a big, fat zero!"   
  
"Well, you might have won, but don't forget that Yugi and Yami were named King of Games, not you." Replied Tea. Yugi blushed.   
  
"Why do ya do dat? Even if I win, ya still criticize me!" exclaimed Joey.   
  
"Well, Yugi is a better duelist." Responded Tea simply. Yugi, if even possible, got redder.   
  
//Awl, how sweet.//   
  
/Drop it./   
  
//My little light being used as a better example by his crush.//   
  
/Yami!/   
  
//What, don't you like it?//   
  
/Well, yes but-/  
  
//Then why are you complaining?//   
  
/.Because it's embarrassing./   
  
//Why do you think I'm teasing you?//   
  
/I'm closing the link now./   
  
//I never thought I'd see the day.//   
  
Yugi closed the link and glared at Yami, who was looking very amused. Joey and Tristan guessed what they had been mentally talking about, since they knew about Yugi's crush, and laughed out loud. Tea just looked confused.   
  
"Okay, can someone please tell me what's so funny?" said Tea, very annoyed.   
  
"It's nothin' Tea." Joey replied, still laughing.   
  
"Yugi?"   
  
"Well, um." Yugi sighed in relief as Grandpa came in the room just as he was about to respond.   
  
"Alright guys, I'm going away now for the week on business, so watch over the shop for me. Look out for anything suspicious and be careful."   
  
"Don't worry, we'll be fine." Said Tristan. The others nodded. Grandpa hesitantly headed for the car, and the gang watched as he drove away.   
  
'Well, at least I have Yami and the crew.' Thought Yugi. 'But will that be enough?'   
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~   
  
The credits flashed on the screen as Joey and Tristan cheered and Yami looked away in disgust.   
  
"That was the worst movie I've ever seen."   
  
"Oh, come on Yami, The Mummy isn't that bad."   
  
"Yes it is Joey, the way they talk about ancient Egypt, it disgusts me."   
  
Joey shrugged as he pressed the stop and then the rewind button on the VCR. Yugi didn't want Yami to stay cross, so he quickly changed the subject.   
  
"So, um, did any of you start your history reports?"   
  
"No, but I bet you did." Jeered Tristan.   
  
"Yeah." Yugi answered, nodding his head towards the kitchen table. Tea giggled, and he blushed again.   
  
Suddenly, Yami looked up, and a split second after, a figure started to take form right before their very eyes. And from the look on Yugi's face, they knew what it was.   
  
It was the Presence. It was about Yami's height, with jet-black hair, sickly yellow clammy skin, and piercing green eyes. He appeared to be in ancient Egyptian clothing, a long black flowing robe with a baggy hood and sleeves. There was no doubt about it- this presence was evil.   
  
Finally, it fully appeared. When it looked up, it gave a devilish grin. "My, what have we here?"   
  
Yami stepped forward. "I demand you tell us who you are and what you're doing here."   
  
The creature laughed. "You, of all people Yugioh, should know who I am."   
  
Yugi watched as Yami's face turned from anger to something he had never seen him feel before - terror. Pure terror. And Yugi knew that if Yami was terrified, something bad was bound to happen. Where Yami dropped off, Joey and Tristen picked up. "Yo, ya bastard, what do ya want wit us?" spat Joey.   
  
"Manners, manners. Let me introduce myself first. I am Sheantu (*pronounced Shay-on-tu. I know, stupid name, but I just got over writer's block! Give me a chance!*), and I have come to receive a greater reward than any of you fools could ever give me."   
  
"Well, you're not getting your filthy hands on any of us!" yelled Tristan.   
  
"Oh, but who ever said I wanted all of you? That would be a waste of my time. The only one I want here is Yugi Mutou."   
  
"You leave him alone!" screamed Tea.   
  
"Bravery. I see you all have that. But it will not be enough to stop my wrath." Stated Sheantu.   
  
"Enough Sheantu," said Yami maliciously, giving him a look of icy venom. "You will not put a finger on my light or any of his friends. If you do, this time, you will personally regret it."   
  
"Ooh, harsh words pharaoh. But is your bark worse than your bite?"   
  
"Get. Out." Whispered Yami, his whole body shaking with rage.   
  
"I think that since I came all this way, I should take what I came for."   
  
That was it, Yami had had enough. He made a gesture with his hands and an orb of dark light appeared. "I'm warning you Sheantu, leave now."   
  
"Sheantu looked at the ball of dark light and then at Yami's face, which was full of fury. "Is that all you got?"   
  
Yami launched the orb of energy at Sheantu, but he made no effort to dodge it. Instead, he simply put his hand out in front of him and the ball of light receded and headed right back towards its sender.   
  
"YAMI!" shrilled Yugi as he saw him fly back with amazing force and hit the wall with a sickening crunch. He tried to run over to him, but he was paralyzed with fright. Yami appeared to have taken heavy damage from the blow, as he was unconscious. Tea, Tristan, and Joey looked at Sheantu with pure hatred, but they knew that they were powerless compared to him.   
  
Sheantu looked at Yugi, his eyes transfixed on Yami in horror. He glared.   
  
"I'll be back." He hissed, and with a wave of his hand, he disappeared.   
  
The four teens stood there in perplexity. Why did Sheantu stop when he could have finished them off and then take what he came after?   
  
After about a minute, Tea broke the silence. "Okay, whatever just happened must have had some meaning."   
  
"Yeah," agreed Tristan. "And whatever it meant, I bet Yami knows the answer. Did you see the look on his face when Sheantu appeared? It's like he knew him personally or something. We should question him."   
  
"Whatever." Said Yugi quietly. "But let's take him upstairs first. He'll probably be safer there; he can sleep on my bed. I don't want him to get hurt again."   
  
Joey and Tristan picked Yami up at the head and feet and headed upstairs, Tea and Yugi following speechlessly. They knew fully that Yugi had always felt that despite all that Yami did for him, he could never do anything in return. Therefore, he always tried to stay out of trouble, but unfortunately, trouble always seemed to find him instead.  
  
And they opened the door to Yugi's room, Yami's hair dangling slightly, waiting for their thought to be answered.   
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~   
  
A cold sensation rushed over his head, and realizing it was only a cloth, the dizziness stopped. Were those voices? Yami strained his eyes open, meeting with the pale blue ceiling and faint smell of vanilla that was Yugi's room.   
  
"Yami! Your awake!" Yugi ran over and hugged him. Yami groaned in response.   
  
"We thought we lost ya there for a sec."   
  
".Huh? Joey, is that you?"   
  
"The one and only!" said Joey happily. Yami groggily sat up next to Yugi on his bed.   
  
"But what happened to Sheantu?"   
  
"Well, um."   
  
"He just."   
  
"Left."   
  
"Left? Why would he do that?"   
  
"We don't know," replied Yugi. "That's what we've been trying to figure out for the past two hours."   
  
"I've been knocked out for two whole hours?"   
  
"Yep. Yami, do you know anything about this Sheantu guy?" questioned Tea.   
  
"Yes, unfortunately I do." Yami took a deep breath. "Sheantu was an evil high priest in ancient Egypt, like Imohtep (*Is that how you spell it? Someone please tell me!*) from the movie."   
  
"So naturally, he was your enemy." Stated Yugi.   
  
"Exactly. Everywhere he went, chaos and death followed, driven by an unknown force to destroy everything in his path. Many people were petrified, some thought he was crazy; but no one dared to tell him that, for death would always follow."   
  
Tea started to say something, but Joey shushed her.   
  
"It was because of this that I made a vow to stop him at all costs. No matter the risk, innocent people didn't deserve to die for no apparent reason. For years, Sheantu slipped through our fingers, aiding himself with his magic. Finally, we were able to capture him. We thought our troubles were over - but we were wrong. While locked up, my guards told me they heard him talk about a 'great reward' in the future, waiting for him. I was infuriated, being as I was going to send him to the Shadow Realm and there would be no chance of escape. Or so I thought. The day of his sealing, he made a threat to me. He told me he would reappear and hunt me down after the Millennium Puzzle was solved. Of course, I had no idea what he was talking about, since the Millennium Items had not been made yet. I was a fool."   
  
Yami covered his face with his hands. "If only I had just taken heed to that threat, none of this would be going on. I knew what type of power his magic possessed; I should have taken extra precautions. However, I was stupid and now look what's happening." Yugi patted his back.   
  
"But there's one thing that I don't understand." Said Tea. "How did Sheantu know about the Millennium Items and that you'd be sealed in the Millennium Puzzle?"   
  
Yami uncovered his face. "One of Sheantu's powers was the ability to see into the future. He must have seen this coming far before it actually happened, giving him much opportunity to plan his attack."   
  
"But how did he get out?" asked Joey.   
  
"Again, Sheantu's magic was extremely powerful. Although I have some idea of how he pulled it off, I'm afraid the only person who could answer that question would be Sheantu himself."   
  
"If his magic was that strong, than why didn't he use it to escape when he was being held prisoner?" asked Tristan.   
  
"I think that has something to do with this 'great reward'. If I know Sheantu, he'd do anything to get his hands on riches of any sort, good, or bad.   
  
"But isn't your magic powerful too? Why couldn't it stop him?"   
  
"It is Joey. But Sheantu must have had a lot of practice, being locked up in the Shadow Realm for 5,000 years."   
  
"But why is he going after me?" Yugi asked softly. Everyone looked at him with pity in his or her faces.   
  
"I wish I could answer you Yugi, I really do. Maybe it's because of spite, or maybe it has something to do with the 'great reward', but this I know - nothing will harm you while we're here." Yami said reassuringly. Tea, Tristan, and Joey showed signs of confirmation.  
  
"Thanks guys." Said Yugi, his eyes starting to droop. Noticing this, Yami said, "Why don't we get some sleep? I'm sure Sheantu wouldn't attack twice in the same day, it's not his style." They agreed gratefully.   
  
As they laid their heads down to rest on their puffy sleeping bags, the new facts they had just learned flooded their brains, and they couldn't help but wonder what was going to happen next.   
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~   
  
No one noticed the writing on a piece of paper on the kitchen table start to glow.   
  
************************************************************************   
  
Starheart- Wow, that took a LOT longer than I expected to write. I finished the fight part last night and I've been working all day on that explanation part. *sighs*  
  
So was the ending okay? A cliffy, sort of? I'm sorry if it isn't good, I wasn't in a very good mood when I wrote the last part, so that might affect it.   
  
Um, not much more to say but REVIEW! ^^;; 


	4. The Vision

Disclaimer: When oranges turn rainbow, I'll own Yu-gi-oh.

Me: Hello everybody. *ducks as various objects zoom towards her head* OK I'M SORRY 4 SUCH THE SLOW UPDATE! This month has been the busiest ever. I now have basketball 2 days/week and I also have horseback riding and clubs once/week. But the main hold-up is school. I get a project like every week and the humanly-impossible load of homework doesn't help either. So take your anger out on school! *objects magically change position and charge towards school…* 

I'll try to update at least once a week and at the most once/2 weeks. If I haven't updated by then check the review page; I'll review for my own story and give u an approximate time when I'll update. K?

Again, THANX SO MUCH FOR THE REVIEWS! And just for a little fun, I've decided that every 50th reviewer will win a prize. So keep reviewing to get there! ^_^

K, basically all the symbols are the same as last time except for one minor one that might only come in in this chapter, I'm not sure yet. Here it is:

**"Quotation"**- Ra/ other god talking

It will probably be mostly Ra, but I don't know if I'm going to put another god in here so I did that just to be safe. K now that we've got all that down on with the fic! ^_~

**_Chapter 4: The Vision_**

************************************************************************

Yugi stared up into space, his hands resting under his head and his covers all the way up to his chest. Even though his body longed to sleep, his mind said otherwise. The information Yami had given him wasn't just the type you could digest overnight, shrug, and put behind you. No, this was the kind that you would think about for days, and everytime you did, would come up with a new question. It left you shrouded in a blanket of mystery, and even though what you heard was information, what you got was inquisitions. 

Yugi finally decided that this wasn't helping any, he had to get out of that cramped room and have some time to himself. He hastily closed his mind link with Yami; he was their only hope of defeating Sheantu, and he needed as much energy as possible, even if it wasn't a lot.

Yugi quietly sat up in his bed as shifted his body so that the covers were off him and his feet were left dangling from the side, mere inches from Tea's head. He quickly lifted himself onto the floor and silently stepped around his friends, chuckling mentally at the occasional, "Yeah, supersize it…" coming from Joey. He finally reached the door and closed it with a soft click.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Yami's POV)

Yami woke up to the blackness of his soul room, lost in his thoughts. 'I swear, if that sleaze _ever _gets to Yugi, he will _pay_.' He glared up at the "ceiling".

'Speaking of Yugi, I'd better check on him. Who _knows _what Sheantu would do.' However, when he tried to contact Yugi, he hit a mind barrier. 'Oh well, he probably closed it on accident. At least he's sleeping.'

But to Yami's horror, he wasn't. He was about to jump out of the puzzle and wake the others when he saw Yugi close the bedroom door behind him. 'Probably wants some time to himself, personally I don't blame him… I should go follow him though- no one is ever safe now a days.' And with a soft glow from the Millennium Puzzle, Yami appeared, his feet lightly hitting the floor, heading for Yugi.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Yugi sighed when he finally reached his destination- the small balcony connected to Grandpa's room. (*K, I know there isn't really one, but let's just say there is.*) He leaned against the railing and looked out at the small town, seeing only a few 3am lights, his hair gently blowing in the wind. Why couldn't life always be this simple, this peaceful? Why did it have to be so dangerous and … complicated? (*I was just listening to Avril Lavigne's "Complicated" so I had that word on the mind*) As he pondered in his thoughts, he found himself being jerked from reality and into somewhere else.

When he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was darkness. 'Oh no, not again.' But wait, there was something…no, someONE. With long, straight brown hair and a friendly smile. "Tea!" Yugi yelled in delight. But as he was reaching out to her, she suddenly vanished. 

"What, Tea where are you!?" Yugi ran to where she disappeared, and he swirled around in confusion. Tears welled up in his eyes as he frantically searched for her.

"Yo Yug, watsa matter?" a voice asked. 

"Joey, is that you?" Yugi cried out in relief. He turned around and there was none other than him, looking concerned. He went out to hug him, but he, too, dissolved in a wisp of smoke.

"What's going on!?" A single tear slipped down Yugi's face. He felt a hand on his shoulder. "Yugi, its Tristan, are you okay man?"

Yugi looked up and saw Tristan, smiling at him. "Are you going to go away too?" he whispered.

Tristan looked perplexed. "What are you…" his voice started to fade, as did he.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Yami's POV)

Yami peered into Grandpa's room and saw Yugi on the balcony. He became alarmed as Yugi was laying on the ground, his eyes wide open. "YUGI!" He yelled as he rushed over to his aibou. He tried to wake him up, but was unsuccessful. "No…" he murmured and a single tear trickled down his face.

/_Yami…_/

'He's still alive! Don't worry Yugi I'm coming.' He vanished with a bright light.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

This was too much. Yugi fell to his knees and cried his eyes out. He cried for his friends, he cried for Yami. How he wanted him. And, as if to answer his prayers, he appeared, bending down to Yugi's level. Except this time, he was real, no illusion or deception. It was the real Yami.

Yugi threw himself into the open and comforting arms of Yami. It was amazing how just having Yami there could calm him down. Yami rubbed his back and tried to soothe the little boy, and it seemed to be working. Although Yugi was speechless, Yami knew that he appreciated him always being there. And Yami treasured having such a loving and caring person as his light. (*Awl, how _cute_! ^_^*)

For 5 whole minutes, they just stayed in the same position, cherishing each other's embrace. Until a mighty shake made Yami's caring enclosure turn into a protective grip.

Yugi was terrified. Even with Yami protecting him, what had enough power to do that? But then Yami provided the answer. "Ra." He whispered in awe.

**"Yes Yugioh, its Ra."**

Yami's face turned from awe to anger. (*in 3.2 seconds! Never mind, it's an inside joke*) "Ra, why are you doing this to my hikari?"

**"I'm sorry Yugioh, but you weren't even supposed to be here in the first place, so I am banned to answer your question. The only one whom may speak is Yugi."** And with a snap of His fingers, Yami froze like a block of ice.

"What did you do to him!?" Yugi screamed, the tears that Yami had stopped freely falling down his face. "Why?"

**"Do not worry, nothing is wrong with him. He will return to normal when I allow it. He needn't know what I am about to say- you can tell him later."**

Yugi, for the first time, looked at Ra. He had golden blond hair, glowing white skin, and was in robes of the highest quality. (*I don't really know what he looks like, so I made that up.*) "Tell me what?"

**"Your message."**

"Huh?"

**"This is what will happen if you shall not succeed in defeating the dark one. If you do not vanquish the evil, this will come true."**

"But how do I defeat him?" Yugi asked.

**"Only you can figure that out. Use your heart and you will find the way."**

"Wait!" Yugi shouted. But his attempts were useless as with a wave of Ra's hand the ground started to shake and he (*Yugi*) and Yami started to disappear. 

**"Follow your heart."**

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Yugi opened his eyes and saw Yami lying on the balcony next to him. "Yami!" he cried, shaking him. Yami moaned and when he saw Yugi, sat up. "Are you okay?" 

"I'm fine Yami don't worry about me. Honest."

Yami looked skeptical but ignored the feeling. "What happened?"

Yugi took a deep breath. "Ra told me that if I didn't defeat Sheantu, my vision would come true. ****

"Wait, slow down. What happened in your vision?"

"Well," Yugi sniffed. "I first saw Tea and as soon as I saw her she vanished. The same thing happened when Joey and Tristen appeared too."

"So you're saying," Yami stated. "That if we don't defeat Sheantu, all of them will be gone?"

"I think so." Replied Yugi sadly.

"But how do we defeat him?"

"All Ra said was, 'Follow your heart'."

Yami smiled. "Well, if you have to follow your heart, I'm sure you'll be able to. Your heart is as big as the pyramids and I'm sure that you'll be able to defeat him that way, even if you don't know what Ra meant. It's you Yugi."

Yugi returned the smile. "Thank you Yami. I know we'll be able to defeat them."

And they both looked at the beautiful lights of the small town below, two strangers in an unforgiving world.

************************************************************************

Me: Sorry for the length but I know what I'm going to put for the next chapter so it should be up soon. I was going to connect them but it doesn't really fit with this one so I let it be a separate one. Let's just say this is an 'information' chapter. The next one will be really exciting, I promise!

Remember, if anyone has any ideas for any of my fics don't be hesitant to tell me! I mean, I don't want to write something nobody wants to read…

CYS! I hope… It all depends on the schoolwork… But I promise it will be updated by next Sunday, k?

Bye! Don't forget to review! ^.~


	5. Kidnapped

Disclaimer: Don't own Yu-gi-oh, but I will soon… hehehehehe… 

Me: I said this chapter would be up by Sunday, so here it is! I'm so glad a lot of people like this so far, at first I thought no one would. 

This chapter will mostly be in the a/a category, and with some helpful suggestions from some of my reviewers and friends, I think u will like it. 

I'm also considering putting a 'sneak preview' section at the end of each chapter since I know a lot of my endings are cliffhangers. Then again, putting a section like that up probably wouldn't help much, but oh well. So review or email me and tell me what I should do! If enough people say yes, I'll do it.

As for the update thing, it probably won't be anytime soon since I have to do _another_ project where u have to have a partner, so I'll be over their house a lot. 

Here are the symbols again for those of u who have forgotten. I know I do that a lot… ^_^'

//Quotation// - Yami to Yugi through mind talk

/Quotation/ - Yugi to Yami through mind talk

'Thought' – obviously, character thought 

~*~* and so on – change of scene

**** and so on – authors notes to story or vise versa

(*.*)- authors notes put in story, but not part of it

**"Quotation"**- Ra/ other god talking (*I'm still not sure if I'm going to use it again, but keep it in your heads just in case I do later*)

Here we go! ^_~

******************************************************************************************* 

Yugi, Yami, Tea, Tristen, and Joey were standing in the den; the furniture pushed against the wall so that there was a big barren space in the middle of the room.

"Okay, we have to figure out a way to stop Sheantu if he ever comes again."

"But how? We're totally powerless compared to him! Next time, we may not be able to stop him from getting Yugi! Remember, he could have gotten him _easily_ last time!" 

Yugi watched in shame as his friends continued to fight on how to protect him. 'It's all my fault. If Sheantu had _just_ taken me, none of this would have happened!' Tears threatened to flow out of his eyes.

//It's _not_ your fault, Yugi.//

Yugi looked up at Yami, who was staring at him warmly. Yugi hung his head.

/Yes it is./

//No it's _not_ Yugi. Don't you see, it is none's fault except Sheantu's. He _wants_ you to believe that!//

/But maybe if he had just taken me…/

//Yugi, if he had taken you, they would have been fighting on a way to get you back, you mark my words.//

/Really?/

//Why would I lie about something like that? You know in your heart that we would do anything to protect you and you would do the same for any of us.//

/…I know. Thank you Yami./

//Now let's stop this fighting and actually _find _a way to protect you.//

/That sounds good to me./

"Guys," said Yami sternly. "Stop the fighting, it isn't getting us anywhere."

After a long pause, Tea spoke up. "I guess you're right…"

"Good. Now here's my plan."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Are you sure this is going to work Yami?" questioned Tea doubtfully.

"Of course it will, it's perfect," Replied Yami. "Joey and Tristan will be the farthest away from Yugi so they can make the first attack, the 'guards' if you will. They may not have any magical powers, but they have enough strength and endurance to hold off Sheantu if time is needed."

"Oh yeah, you know it!" yelled Joey, looking very smug. The rest of them rolled their eyes and Yami continued on. 

"Tea will be right next to Yugi, just in case she needs to push him away if Sheantu makes any attempt to grab him." Tea and Yugi blushed.

"But where are you going to be Yami?" asked Yugi.

"I'll be in the Millennium Puzzle," answered Yami. "That way, if somehow he manages to grab Yugi, I'll be able to go with him and defend him."

Yugi laughed, embarrassed. "You know you guys, you don't have to go through all this trouble to protect me."

"Nonsense, we're your friends, we'll always watch your back!" encouraged Joey. 

"Yeah!" Tea and Tristan cheered. Yami simply smiled at his light.

//Ya see? No matter what, they will always be there for you, as will I.//

/Thank you Yami that makes me feel so much better./

//I'm a professional.//

/I wouldn't be too sure about that…/ They both grinned mentally.

/Yami?/

//Yes?//

/Do you think we should tell them about the vision?/

//No, I think they have enough to worry about.// Yami nodded his head over to Joey and Tristan, who seemed to be pointlessly fighting over who was stronger, while Tea just sat there, clearly enjoying watching the two making idiots of themselves.

/Okay, whatever you say Yami…/ But Yugi wasn't entirely sure. If his vision was true, then it wasn't him who Sheantu was after… (*I use those things _way_ too much… See, there I go again! -.-;;*)

However, Yugi stayed silent, deciding to trust his dark's instincts on this one. After all, there weren't a lot of people he could trust these days… (*I'm trying not to use them! Gomen! That is how u say 'sorry' in Japanese, right?*)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Joey yawned in tiredness and boredom. It had been 3 whole hours of sitting and waiting and Sheantu still hadn't come yet. "Gee, will dis guy come already? I'm tired and I'm gettin' hungry!"

"Joey," sighed Tea. "You're _always_ hungry." Everyone except Joey nodded.

"Hey don't complain Joey, you haven't been cramped in a puzzle the whole time, at least you had space to move around." Yugi protested.

//Hey, thanks!//

/Anytime./

"ALRIGHT, I get the point, but can we at least have something to eat?"

"I guess so," said Tristan. "It might be the only way to shut him up."

"Oh, and _who_ do you suppose has to cook all of this food?" Tea looked at them suspiciously. 

Yugi put on his puppy dog eyes. "_Please_ Tea? You're the only one that _can _cook."

Tea stared at Yugi, cringing. 'Oh no, not the puppy dog eyes…'

"Well?"

"Fine. But only because it'll shut Joey up."

"Hey! Am I that bad?"

"Yes." They responded.

Joey sighed and Tea walked into the kitchen. "What do you want?"

"Sandwiches are okay!"

"Sure, that sounds good to me!"

"PIZZA!" 

"Sandwiches it is then!"

"Hey, what about pizza?"

But Joey's "question" was unanswered when a figure started to appear before them.

"Watch out, freak alert!" Tristan yelled. Everyone ran to their places.

Sheantu fully appeared. "So, we meet again. My my, it seems that you hatched some pathetic attempt to keep each other out of harms way while I was gone." He snickered.

"It'll be you who gets the harm Sheantu!" Tristan shouted as he and Joey charged towards him. Sheantu grinned slyly and just stood crouched down, ready to spring.

"AAHH!" Joey let out a loud cry as he was only a foot away from Sheantu and got ready for a full-fledged tackle. But at the last possible second, Sheantu jumped out of the way and Tristan and Joey ran head first into each other (*they were charging from different directions. Ouch ^~^*). They both fell to the ground, clutching their heads in pure agony, clearly not able to fight anymore.

"Incompetent fools, thinking they could outwit me. They will pay in the end." Sheantu strode over to Yugi and Tea. 

"Keep your hands off of Yugi!" screamed Tea.

'Hmm… they all seem to be protecting Yugi… maybe I could use this to my advantage…'

Sheantu headed towards Yugi, no fear whatsoever written on his face. And just as he planned, Tea ran in front of Yugi with her arms outstretched. "Yugi, run for it!" she cried. Yugi did run, but only to the very edge of the room; as much as he feared Sheantu, he wanted to be able to help his friends if they were in trouble.

"Who ever said I was after Yugi?" asked Sheantu as he flung his arms forward and grabbed Tea around the torso, and then threw her over his back. As much as she struggled, she couldn't break free of his grip.

"TEA!" Yugi screamed as he dashed towards her, as did Tristen and Joey (*still in pain*), but they were too late. With a snap of his fingers, Sheantu, and the trapped Tea, disappeared.

Yugi fell to his knees. "NO!" he cried doubled over, the floor beneath him already wet from his tears. Yami materialized and hugged him fiercely, a single tear falling from his face as well. Joey and Tristen were staring at what Sheantu had left behind.

_One is gone_

_But two will follow_

_And then I shall have_

_What I came for_

******************************************************************************************* 

Me: K, so how was the a/a part? This is my first time writing it, so I hope it's not to bad/boring/…you get the idea. 

*Looks over* Whew, I thought that was going to be _so_ much longer. Sorry for all those who wanted a longer chapter, I didn't really know it was going to be this short… I will try to make each chapter at least 2,000 words next time. Better?

PLEEZ PLEEZ PLEEZ review. When I posted chapter 4 I only got like 4 new reviews so I hope nobody thought it was bad… let me know! 

TNTIU! (Till Next Time I Update) Hopefully (*I probably used that word like 10 times in this chapter*) soon.

And since I'm sure the next chapter won't be out till after holidays, Happy Thanksgiving everyone! ^_^ 


	6. New Found Power

Disclaimer: I own Yu-gi-oh! Yeah right, and I'm also the queen of England.

Me: Well, here's the 6th chapter! Again, sorry 4 such the slow update, I explained in the last chapter. 

Yay! 46 reviews! I am so happy; you people make this all worthwhile. Remember, every 50th reviewer will get something special! Just 4 more reviews peoples! 

I dedicate this chapter to YamiYugigirl2k for being my bestest buddy in a time of short-term writers block and giving me ideas. Without her this chapter wouldn't be here! Thanks YamiYugigirl2k!

//Quotation// - Yami to Yugi through mind talk

/Quotation/ - Yugi to Yami through mind talk

'Thought' – obviously, character thought 

~*~* and so on – change of scene

**** and so on – authors notes to story or vise versa

(*.*)- authors notes put in story, but not part of it

**"Quotation"**- Ra/ other god talking

**_Chapter 6: New Found Power_**

**************************************************************************************

"Yugi please, open the door." Pleaded Yami gently. However, the only response he got was the soft crying of the small sensitive teen.

Yami sighed and headed downstairs in defeat. For a whole hour, he'd been trying to get Yugi to come out of his room, but he was unsuccessful. "Still up there?" asked Tristan.

"Yep," Yami replied sadly. "He thinks it's all his fault. He's shut himself in that room and is just up there crying."

"Poor Yug." Said Joey gloomily. He shifted the ice pack on his head.

"Maybe you should try to talk to him via mind talk." suggested Tristan.

"Good idea." agreed Yami. His hikari was in trouble because of something he failed to do and he was going to do whatever it took to help him.

As he opened the mind link he felt a great wave of sorrow and guiltiness. //Yugi?//

/…/

//Yugi, please answer me, I want to help you.//. 

Just then Yami heard a crash coming from Yugi's room and a wave of power coming from Yugi's end. //Yugi? YUGI!// Then, he felt nothing.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

(Yugi's POV)

Yugi heard Yami trying to communicate with him. He knew he should have answered, but didn't. He felt so guilty about Tea that he couldn't bear to talk to anyone right now. Somehow, it was always his fault. Even though he didn't want or mean it to be, the blame always came back to him. Why? Was it because it really WAS his fault? No, that couldn't be it. The reason was that Sheantu was after him. But if that was true, then WHY was he after him? Every was he looked at it, the evidence always seemed to slither its way back to Yugi. He became frustrated. 

He stood up, tears streaming down his face, and closed his eyes. 'Why is it always me? Why, why, WHY?' He threw his hands out in anger.

A crash was heard, as loud as a bus running into a brick wall. Whatever shattered fell to the floor and broke into millions of pieces. Yugi was going to jump back for safety, but something told him to stay. He slowly opened his eyes, and what he saw petrified him.

In the direction that he threw his hands out was a broken window, pieces of it scattered along the floor. It would have seemed that the debris would have sliced Yugi, but there was one key difference. A white orb of light was surrounding him, protecting him from the razor-sharp shards of glass. Yugi stood there, shaking in fear, not knowing what to do. He cautiously flipped over his hands, and saw something he never wanted to see. The eye of Ra, glowing faintly, but still brimming with power. "But that means… that I…" Yugi fell to the floor into a black abyss. (*Don't worry, he just fainted!*) 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

(Yami's POV)

Something was terribly wrong, Yami knew it, he felt it. "What was tat?" screamed Joey in alarm.

"Yugi!" yelled Yami and he raced upstairs, not caring for whatever evil he had to face in order to keep his aibou safe. Tristan and Joey ran behind him.

"Yugi!" Yami blared through the door. But he got no answer.

"Oh man, he's not answering, something bad must have happened!" yelled Tristan. He tried to open the door, but found it locked.

"All right, on da count of 3, we'll all ram and knock da door down!" shouted Joey. They all nodded and took a charging position. "One…two… THREE!" They stormed forward.

The door was strong, but it was no match for three full-fledged tackles. It helplessly fell to the floor with a bang. Yami looked around fretfully. To his horror, he saw Yugi passed out on the floor, glass surrounding him. Yami ran to his light, expecting the worst. He bent down, and gently lifted up his head so Yugi's face was towards him. But to his surprise, Yugi showed no sign of injury. He just seemed to just be passed out. Yami also noticed that the glass particles around him were all in an odd design, as if circling him, but not actually touching. He put the thoughts out of his mind and concentrated his focus to his hikari.

//Yugi, are you okay?//

/…Yami?/

//Yes, it's me. What happened?//

/I…don't remember./ Yami felt the pain and frustration Yugi was feeling.

//It's okay aibou, you probably lost that part of your memory when you fainted. Just rest, okay?//

/…okay./ Yami instantly felt Yugi's mind relax and go into a resting state.

Yami sighed in relief. "Is he going to be ok?" questioned Tristan fearfully. 

"He'll be fine, he just fainted." Replied Yami. Tristan and Joey calmed.

"But what exactly happened?" asked Joey.

"I don't know, Yugi doesn't remember. Let's go downstairs though, just in case." They agreed.

Yami placed Yugi's legs bent over his arms and let the rest of his light's body rest against his chest. He picked him up and led the small group out the door.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

'There you go aibou.' Thought Yami as he pulled a blanket over Yugi, who was lying on the couch, still fainted. Although he tried not to show it, Yami was extremely worried. What happened in Yugi's room was still a complete mystery, and mysteries weren't good now-a-days. He was perplexed – whom or what could cause that much power? And why didn't it hurt Yugi? Yami scratched his head in confusion. 'Right now,' he decided. 'It would be best just to forget about this. It didn't cause any damage to Yugi and we still have important things to look out for'.

He sat next to Yugi, his head nearly exploding with all his thoughts. Besides this new info, he also had another idea, something that he desperately hoped not to be true.

"Watsa matter Yami, ya look troubled." Asked Joey in concern. 

"I just thought of something," replied Yami. "What if Sheantu isn't after Yugi after all?"

"What do you mean?" questioned Tristen.

"I mean, he could have taken Yugi easily last time. What if Tea's kidnapping had some meaning?"

"You mean, maybe this is just some step in a more evil plan?" (*Wow, that sounds extremely corny. -.-;;*)

"Exactly." Said Yami. "I mean, he clearly told us that he was coming for two more, so how would he know the exact number without this having it be some part of his main objective?"

"Good point," agreed Joey. "But what would he need three of us for?"

"I don't know." Admitted Yami in frustration. "It all goes together someway, but I just don't know how!" He clenched his fists. The room went silent. 

But then Yami gasped. "Unless…no…"

"Wat?" urged Joey.

"I understand now… he's trying to use a teleportation spell!"

"What's that?" questioned Tristan.

"It's a simple yet complicated spell," answered Yami. "In order to perform it, you need three souls in which the person loves or is close to. Then you can transport them to wherever you are whenever you want."

"And that means Yugi." said Tristan.

"Not necessarily." Stated Yami. Tristan and Joey stared at him. "He might want me. After all, he did try to take Yugi before, and he's closer to me than anybody." 

Joey saw the look of worry on Yami's face whenever Yugi was brought up. 'He cares for Yugi so much, he doesn't even care what danger he puts himself in. I mean, look at him, he definitely needs rest, but yet here he is, watching over his light.' Joey glared. 'How _dare _Sheantu try to break up a relationship like that. Doesn't he realize that they're one of a whole? That they're the same person, and without one, the other isn't complete? He should have never been able to walk this earth with an attitude like that.' He shook his head silently to himself.

"Which means," realized Tristan. "That none of us are safe." Yami nodded.

"Maybe we should take shifts, so tat we'll always have some guard." Suggested Joey.

"Good idea." Concluded Yami. "Even though one of us may not be safe, it's better than sitting like a duck and waiting for him to strike." They nodded.

"I'll go first," said Joey. "And then Tristan can go."

"But what about me?"

"Yami, I think it would be better if you stayed by Yugi. He's not exactly a hundred percent and you're the most powerful one here."

"Well, okay, if you're sure…"

"Don't worry 'bout it, we can take Snake Face no problem."

"Yeah, have some faith in us! We can at least hold him off until you guys get to safety."

"Thank you guys." Said Yami gratefully.

"Now, why don't you three get some shut-eye? I'll stay awake."

"Sure," said Yami. "Why don't I get you guys some blankets?"

"That'd be great." Said Tristan. Yami went off to get them.

"Why can't Sheantu see that those two need each other?" asked Joey after he was sure Yami was out of earshot. 

"I know," agreed Tristan. "Did you see the look on Yugi's face when Yami got hurt? He was totally petrified, not for himself, but for Yami's health."

Joey shook his head. "Splittin' them up would just be wrong." Tristan nodded. Then Yami came back, carrying two blankets and pillows.

"Here you go." said Yami, handing them each one. "Thanks." The two said and fixed a spot for themselves on the floor. "Yami, why don't you sleep next to Yugi?" asked Tristan.

"I'd like that, thanks." Admitted Yami and he fixed a place for himself next to the couch. "Are you sure you don't need me?"

"We'll be fine Yami, don't you worry." assured Tristan. Yami looked reluctant, but he finally took a place on the floor next to the resting Yugi. Within minutes, he was asleep.

"Man, he musta really needed da sleep." concluded Joey.

"Yeah." said Tristan as he sat down on his blanket. "You wanna change shifts every hour?"

"Tat sounds good."

"Well, see you in an hour then." said Tristan as he lay down to sleep. 

"Yeah, see ya." Said Joey and he walked out of the room.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Joey yawned. He looked tiredly at the clock. It read, "11:57". 'Well, I better go wake Tristan up.' He headed for the den.

As quietly as he could, he tiptoed his way around the sleeping Yugi and Yami. He bent down and shook Tristan gently. "Tristan, your turn."

Tristan moaned but got up without question. "How are Yugi and Yami?"

"They're sleeping soundly."

"Well, that's good. You can go to sleep now Joey, you look exhausted."

"Thanks." said Joey and he settled down in his spot. Tristan silently walked out of the room.

"Well, nothing so far." Observed Tristan as he walked through the halls like a watchdog. He stopped suddenly. 'Wait, I sense something.' He turned around, but it was too late. A strong hand covered his mouth and he felt himself being pulled back, even though he tried to resist. Tristan tried to yell, but the hand seemed to have something in it, and it made him pass out. Then, he and the shadow disappeared as quickly as the presence had come.

The only thing the shadow left behind was a chilling yet familiar message:

_Two down_

_One to go_

_And then you shall face_

_The ultimate foe_

**************************************************************************************

Me: I know, I know I have GOT to stop with these evil cliffhangers. I'll try to stop using them so much, I promise!

K, happy now, I did a longer chapter. My word count says 2219 words but I don't know what it'll say on FF.n. Oh well, at least it's over 2,000, just like I promised! 

Well, I don't think I'm going to be able to update this soon, as I'm writing a fic with my friend (hopefully to be posted soon, we have some REALLY good ideas) and I might start another one because I have this idea on my brain. So, Happy Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza, (sp?) or any other holidays that you celebrate and have a Happy New Year!

_So what is going to happen next? Will the remaining gang be able to stop Sheantu in time? And what is his real objective? Tune in next time to find out! _(Dun dun dun… ^^;;)


	7. Change in Plans

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-gi-oh. 

Me: Hi again! I'm so sorry for such the SLOW update, but as I explained in my profile as well as e-mail, the computer I wrote on crashed, and I also had 3 projects to work on (and still am). SO WORK WITH ME PLEASE! This is the fastest I've been able to update. 

Well, the 50th reviewer was… *drum roll* Hirotani! So, as a reward, you get to borrow your favorite character for awhile! You can pick them up in chapter 8. *snaps fingers and all characters appear*

Yami Bakura: *sarcastically* Well, THIS should be fun.

Yami: *glares at Yami Bakura* Don't you even THINK about going near my aibou! *stands in front of Yugi protectively*

Yami Bakura: *rolls eyes* Honestly…

Me: OK, LET'S GET BACK ON THE SUBJECT HERE! 

Yami's: *shut up*

Me: Better. Well, now I'm going to answer a few reviews.

To Hirotani: Hehe, I am such a Harry Potter fan 2. But my friend is a HUGE fan, her room is _literally_ a Harry Potter room; the posters, the Nimbus 2000 chimes, the CD's- I've seen it all my friend. And I have to be dragged with her every time the phrases "Harry Potter", "Ron Weasly", "Sorcerer's Stone", or "Chamber of Secrets" is used, and that's a LOT. Just lucky I guess… Oh, and congrats on being the 50th reviewer!

To KaTyA: Well, I guess I couldn't take that deal, sorry. It has just been REALLY hectic around here, and now the SAME friend is making me go with her to see The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers for like the 20th time so I have 2 do that 2. Oh well…

To Ms. Prongs: Yeah, I do that a lot too. Then I end up writing crappy reviews, but yours was just fine! And yes, I know, I AM evil, I've been told that from all the cliffhangers I make. GOMEN! I'm trying, but that's just my writing style. Soon, I'll write a REGULAR ending, I promise. Although it might be hard since a lot of drama is going to kick in soon. Well, thanks 4 putting me on your fav's!

To Cheeze Monkey: Cute pen name! And your story is great, it's just a lot of people haven't even heard of Shinzo. Stupid ABC Family took it off the air… *clenches fists* Well, I better stop b4 I start a strike lol. ^_^

To Blazesgirl: The Eye of Ra, hmm, how can I explain this… ok, here it goes. The Eye of Ra, aka the sennen eye, is sort of a symbol of Yami's power. For example, just before Yami is about to use "Mind Crush", the Eye of Ra appears on his forehead. As 4 the other question, I'm sorta confused on what you mean. Do you mean what is Yugi, as in what type of powers Yugi possesses, or do you mean who is Yugi? I think it was the 1st one but I'm not sure, I'll be happy to answer it if it's not.

To QueenOfHearts: Yeah, I know! I HATE math, and algebra is the worst! *gags* I despise it, especially since my teacher is a complete moron… He's like 80, collects trolls, and has an imaginary friend that lives in the phone! No joke, it's really true!   

To Tea Gardner: *laughs* You are too much. I know what you mean, school IS evil. It's one of the reasons I can't update this as fast as I would like. I ESPECIALLY hate oral reports; I'm so bad at them. I turn bright red, and I talk too fast. I have got to learn how to make them better, being as I have to do like 10 this year… I know how u feel. Here, have a Yugi plushie! *hands Tea Gardner a Yugi plushie* I'm sure you'll like that! *wink wink* ^_~

Yugi: *turns bright red*

Yami: //Awl…//

Yugi: /Be quiet./

Well, I was going to do the Oh-So-Obvious idea of having Sheantu capturing Joey in this chapter, but I thought of a WAY better idea. So have no fear daisy, Joey's not going anywhere!

Joey: *sighs in relief*

Me: Yet… I'm not sure.

Joey: *gulps*

Ok, a little advertising here for ShadowKat! Please read her fics! They're totally awesome! My favorite one of hers is "Me and My Shadow", but they're all great! So check them out! ^^  

I dedicate this chapter to my friend, who is going through an intense stage of depression. May she realize that she will always have friends to help her out, and that something good will always come out of the bad.   

//Quotation// - Yami to Yugi through mind talk

/Quotation/ - Yugi to Yami through mind talk

'Thought' – character thought 

~*~* and so on – change of scene

**** and so on – authors notes to story or vise versa

(*.*)- authors notes put in story, but not part of it

**"Quotation"**- Ra/ other god talking

**_Chapter 7: Change in Plans_**

**************************************************************************************

Tea flinched as the tight ropes sunk deeper into her skin, making crimson blood slowly trickle down her legs. She had only been here for a day, but it felt like a year. 'I have to get out of here, my friends need me!' But, as many times as she tried, she found it impossible. Being tied tightly to a pole meant that she could hardly breathe, let alone move.

Tea looked around, hoping to find some way to break out of her close binds. She appeared to be in some dark, silent temple with weird statues lining the perimeter. 'Great! How am I supposed to get out of here? 

But a sickening oh-too-familiar laughter interrupted her thoughts. What seemed like a swirling black portal appeared before her very eyes, and Sheantu emerged, holding an unconscious body. Tea gasped. "Tristan! What did you do to him?" 

Sheantu sniggered. "Oh, he'll live."

"You bastard…"

Sheantu shook his fingers and clicked his tongue. "Quiet! Act like that and I might kill him."

Tea clenched her fists but kept her mouth shut.

"Good little girl." He grinned slyly as he went over to a similar pole and tied Tristan around as well.    

This time Tea couldn't help herself. "Yugi and Yami will come and get us out of here. I know they will."

Sheantu turned around sharply and grabbed Tea's chin, forcing it upward. "I'd watch my mouth if I were you. Those two will not rescue you, they stand no chance."

Tea smirked. "But they know you are coming. They will be ready."

Sheantu laughed at her remark. "Oh, but who ever said I was going after them? No, they would expect that. Instead, I'm going to go after someone else."

"What?"

"Which one person has absolutely no protection? Which one person would not even think of getting attacked? Which one person is farthest away from help?"

 Tea's eyes widened in fear. "N-no, you wouldn't…"

"I would," Sheantu walked back to the portal. "And I am." He stepped through, disappearing from view.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"WHAT?"

"Shhh Yami, you'll wake Yugi." Joey said, pointing a finger towards the couch, where the sleeping form of a small child lay.

Yami sighed. "Sorry. It's just that all Sheantu needs is one more of us and then he'll have Yugi! We can't let that happen; however, I have to admit, we're definitely out powered here." He dropped his head in defeat but looked up when a hand slapped his shoulder.

"Don't ya worry Yami. Remember, it was our friendship that beat Pegasus – we can do it again."

Yami shook his head. "You don't understand Joey. This guy is far beyond Pegasus. He has powers almost equal to the Gods, powerful enough to kill. Be as it may, our bond IS strong, but do you honestly believe that it could outtake a magic of that caliber?"

Joey hesitated for a few minutes before speaking. "I dink that if you truly believe dat you can and you put your heart into it, anything is possible. Even though we may be behind now, dat doesn't mean that we can't defeat 'em."

Yami looked over at Yugi and didn't respond. 'I hope you're right Joey. Because if you aren't, we could lose a lot more than we came in with.'

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Yugi woke up with cold sweat running down his face. He had the worst dream. 'But what was it about? I can't remember!' He sighed in annoyance as he attempted to pick his worn and tired body off the couch.

//Yugi, you up?//

Yugi nearly jumped out of his skin. Having a loud voice scream in your head at 6:00 in the morning when you just woke up from a nightmare and a crazy murderer was after you wasn't exactly comforting. Yugi felt the worry on Yami's side of the link as he felt Yugi's sudden twinge of surprise. /It's ok Yami, you just scared me a little, that's all. I'm fine./

//Sorry.// 

/That's ok./

//Well, why don't you come in the kitchen? I made breakfast.//

/Are you sure it's edible?/ Yami chuckled. /Ok, I'll be right there./ Yugi headed for the kitchen, but he felt something wasn't right, something was missing…

And he soon found out what it was. As he entered the small slightly-steamy room, he looked around and only saw Joey and Yami. A wave of panic rushed through him. "Where's Tristan?"

"Well…."

"Um…"

"Tell me what happened! I deserve to know!"

Yami closed his eyes and nodded slowly. "You're right Yugi, you deserve to know," He took a deep breath. "Last night, Tristan was kidnapped, just like Tea was."

Yugi stood there in shock. Another one of his friends gone? Just like that? It was almost too much to bear.

Yami cringed when he saw the intense look of pain of his hikari's face. "Yugi…"

But Yugi didn't reply. Instead, with his head down and tears cascading down his face, he asked a question of his own: "Sheantu isn't trying to kidnap me, is he?"

Joey opened his mouth to say something, but shut it when he saw Yami's expression of deep misery. 

 "So all this time, we were protecting the wrong person. And now look what's happened." There was an eerie silence. 

Yami looked up, determination firing in his eyes. "Maybe Yugi, but that doesn't mean we can't stop him this time. I give you my word; we will get everyone back, no matter what risks we have to take."

"Dat's right Yug."

Yugi looked up into his friends' eyes, his no longer sparkling with tears of sadness, but of faith and will. "And I believe your word." The three embraced in a group hug.

After a while, Joey cleared his throat. "Um guys, this is getting a little too mushy for me…"

Yami and Yugi caught his drift and let go. "Well," said Yami, breaking the awkward moment. "You two better get ready for school. Who knows what will happen today."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Throughout the day, Joey and Yugi had been extremely paranoid; checking behind them every 10 seconds, looking in vacant lockers, listening keenly at every sound, all being aware that an insane madman was after them. Yami had explained the whole teleportation bit to Yugi through their link as they were walking to school, so Yugi wasn't worried so much about himself, but for his friends. The teachers were stumped by Yugi's strange behavior; he always made excuses to get out of class, but since he was a good student, they let it go. What he really was doing was checking up on Joey, since he was mostly in different classes as him and Yami was safely residing in the Millennium Puzzle. Finally, after what seemed like forever, the bell rang, and the students hurried off to lunch. Yugi went to their usual table, hurriedly looking around for Joey.

//Sheesh Yugi, you really ARE paranoid. Calm down!//

/Sorry Yami./

"Hey Yug!" yelled Joey, scurrying over to their usual spot under the big shadowing willow tree. Yugi sighed in relief to see Joey alright. Joey sat down on the grass, his back leaning against the willow's dark brown trunk with his legs bent so that his knees were the same height as his head. "Well, we got halfway through school."

Yugi nodded. "Yeah, so far, so good." He took out a sandwich from his brown paper bag and began to eat. Joey did likewise.                   

It was quiet for a few minutes as the two best friends ate their lunches. That was the one thing about the Willow tree: it was so peaceful, so serene, so… calm. After all you've been through, you could always come back here and just rest your head against the base and relax in the little enclosure it created from its hanging vines. And it seemed, a little peace and relaxation was just what the two friends needed right now, after all they'd been through. If only life was like a willow tree, then everything would be good, none of this horror would have happened…

"Joey?"

"Yeah?"

"Yami and I were just wondering; where do you think Sheantu is hiding? It could be anywhere."

Joey pondered for a second about what Yugi asked him. 'Where would he hide? After all, it's not like he has anyone to fear.' "Hmm…. Well, maybe he hid somewhere close to his homeland; after all, that's where he got his powers, they might be stronger there."

//Good point.//

"Yami says that's a possibility. Anyway, it's not like he could hide anywhere else. But how exactly are we going to find him?"

Joey and even Yami couldn't think of an answer to that one.

"Well, I guess we'll have to take it as it goes." Said Joey, looking out past the willows green swaying branches, desperately hoping whatever to come wasn't as bad as it likely was going to. 

"Yeah, I guess." Agreed Yugi, and he too found himself memorized by the willows charming beauty. Just then the bell rang, and Joey and Yugi got up without a word and headed to their next class.   

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Solomon Mutou hummed happily as he adjusted his tie in the mirror of the hotel room. Things had been going well for him; if he kept his luck up, he might be able to snag some good deals. His good mood however dropped when he thought of his two grandsons. "I hope those two are okay."

"Oh, I wouldn't be too sure about that." 

Solomon turned around in surprise at the sound of the icy voice. "Whose there?"

"Me." A slimy finger tapped him on the shoulder, and Solomon was met with a hooded, yellow-skinned, green-eyed man a little taller than he was. "You will come with me now."

"Why should I go with you?" Sweat started to trickle down his back.

"Because," Sheantu replied evilly. "You have no choice."

"Never!"

Sheantu laughed. "Pathetic. Just like your grandsons. Oh well, I guess you will have to pay the consequences." He grabbed Solomon around the neck.

Solomon gagged. "et…..o….of….e…." 

Sheantu refused. "I tried to ask nicely, but would you listen? No. So now you will come the hard way." They both vanished in a cloud of black smoke.

Right after they did, a cleaning maid knocked on the door. "Mr. Mutou?" Hearing no response, she allowed herself entry into the room and looked around, but didn't find him. 'I guess he must have left early.' She thought as she took out a cloth and started to clean the counter. (*A window was open so the smoke went out*)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Yugi took a seat next to Joey. Math was one of the only classes Joey and he had together, so it was relatively safe.

//I have a bad feeling about this…//

/What do you mean? You didn't have one before./

//I know. I just feel like something is coming, and Ra knows what that could be. Just be careful, ok?//

/Ok./

Yugi felt a little queasy in his stomach. He greatly hoped that Yami's suspicion was wrong. Joey noticed the change of expression on his little friend's face. "What's wrong Yug?"

"It's nothing." Yugi said, but Joey wasn't fooled: he knew Yami felt something; it just wasn't smart to go around saying an evil presence is going to attack you in front of a whole class of people. He felt a little panic flash through him, but he pushed it aside. With a yell from the teacher to be quiet, class began.

For the next 20 minutes, Yugi and Joey looked around cautiously, not even mildly paying attention to what the teacher was saying. And, their cautiousness paid off, because a black portal appeared right next to the terrified math teacher. Screams and yelps of surprise were heard and all pandemonium broke through as students and teachers alike dashed out of the classroom in petrified states. Yami, not caring who saw him, jumped out of the Millennium Puzzle and stood in front of Yugi and Joey, getting ready to fight. And, of course, Sheantu appeared, grinning maliciously at the trio. "No use for that pharaoh, I already have what I need."

Yami glared. "You can't. In order to use the Teleportation spell, you need three hosts that are close to the chosen one."

"Precisely." 

"But who?"

"Why Solomon Mutou, of course."

"No Grandpa!" Yugi screamed. Yami held him back, not taking his cold eyes off the hooded individual.

"Yes Grandpa, little Yugi. He was easy prey, not having any protection, nor expecting what was coming." Sheantu yawned. "It was almost too boring; the poor old man couldn't even put up a proper fight…"

"Sick…" Joey muttered, not taking the rage out of his voice. Yami glared.

"So why do you need to come here?" Yugi asked fearfully.

Sheantu cackled. "Why, I just want to have some fun! Destroying a school sounds very enjoyable." Yugi's eyes widened. 

"Go away Sheantu. These people are innocent, they don't deserve this." Joey pleaded.

"So? Do you think I really care? All I want is power, and the way I see it, the more I use it, the stronger it becomes." He started to chant, and a black aura outlined his body.

Yami's eyes widened. "Get out of here!" he shouted. "Even I don't have enough power to match with that! Come on!" Joey and Yugi follow suite out of the small classroom.

"Cowards, running from the inevitable." Sheantu muttered, and sent an explosion of power whirling in random directions. Walls crumbled and doors were blown off their hinges. In response, the remaining students and teachers took off in a dead sprint towards any possible exits. Sheantu grinned. "This should be fun."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Yami, Yugi, and Joey ran for their lives, trying to ignore the petrified screams of terror behind them. "Look! Der's da main entrance!" yelled Joey. They headed for it, pulling the heavy door open with ease and running in whatever direction their feet took them. 

"Where are we going to go?" asked Yugi as they continued to sprint.

"At this point it really doesn't matter where we go, as long as we get away from here!"

"Ok den let's go to da Game Shop, it's da closest!" Joey yelled and took the lead. The others followed as the school couldn't take any more and buckled, causing a huge cloud of smoke to fly out from the sides…

Finally, they reached the glass doors of the small building called the Turtle Game Shop. Yugi took out the key and hastily unlocked the door, and the trio rushed inside. Once there, they collapsed, panting from running so much. Yugi was the first to speak up. "Those poor people…"

"I think they all might have got out, give or take a few," said Yami, trying to cheer up his aibou. "They started to flee before Sheantu attacked, so they might have." Yugi felt a slight bit better. 

"Now what do we do?" asked Joey quietly. Yami and Yugi looked at him. "What do we do now? Sheantu has all he needs, he can take Yugi at anytime, and we can't do a thing about it!"

Yami scratched his chin. "Not necessarily Joey." Now it was his turn to be looked at. "What do you mean?"

"If I remember correctly, the person being teleported, in this case Yugi, gets a vision a split second before he is actually teleported. If my assumptions are correct, then we may know the location of Sheantu's whereabouts."

"Well, at least you'll have something." Said Yugi, trying to hide the extreme look of fear from his face. Yami wasn't fooled. He went over and hugged Yugi. "It's all right Yugi, I will come and get you, I promise."

"I know you will." Said Yugi, starting to cry.

"Yugi," said Yami. "Do not listen to what Sheantu is telling you. He will try to confuse you, manipulate you, make you believe in false accusations. You must trust me Yugi: follow your heart and you will know the true answer."

Yugi nodded, fully crying now. "Ok Yami, I promise I will do so."

Joey looked at Yugi in shock as he started to disappear before his very eyes. "Yugi!" he yelled.

Yami remained calm. "Yugi, you must try to send me the vision in your mind."

Yugi cried out. "I can't!"

"Yes you can Yugi, I believe in you." Yami smiled and he placed his hand on his vanishing counterparts shoulder. Yugi closed his eyes and concentrated with all his might.

Then he completely vanished. "No!" shouted Joey as he ran over to where Yugi was. Yami simply closed his eyes, seeming to be in deep thought.

"Did you get it Yami?" asked Joey anxiously.

Yami opened his eyes. "Yes Joey."

"Then where is he?"

"The only place he would be. Joey, we're going to Egypt."

**************************************************************************************

Me: YES! FINISHED! HALLELUIAH! *does a dance*

All: o_0

Me: *stops* Oh, right. Well, did u people like the long chappie? I thought I'd make it long to make up for such the SLOW update. Again, it'll probably be long b4 I update again because I still have reports/projects 2 work on and on Friday I'm going on a trip 2 Baltimore! Yay! ^_^ I am in such a good mood right now…

Yami: You still have to finish your science report.

Me: -_-   Review please so I stay awake!!!


	8. On My Way

Disclaimer: In case you didn't hear, I. DO. NOT. OWN. YU-GI-OH. *sighs*  
  
Okay, now for the begs. *gets down on knees* I am SO sorry for not updating this in such a long time, but I have been extremely busy, just ask any of my friends. I am preparing for a horse show that I am going to be in soon, had playoffs (Which I came in 4th btw!! Oh yeah, go us!! ^_^ Ok, I'll shut up now.), and have - literally - been writing about 5 other fics along with this one. Plus, as if I need any other excuses, I got a REALLY bad case of Writers Block *shivers* so you can see my point.  
  
Yami: Yeah, call me crazy but I'd say it hasn't been your month.  
  
Me: Yeah.  
  
Yugi: Ooh, can I ride your horse?? *gives kawaii face* Pweese???  
  
Me: *cringes* You know I would, but Sparky is.. er. tempermental.  
  
Yami: What do you mean?  
  
Me: Well, for one, he bites anyone that he doesn't know who tries to ride him, and two -  
  
Yugi: Never mind.  
  
Me: Ok.  
  
Yami: Oh, didn't Hirotani get to pick her fav character and keep them for a chapter?  
  
Me: Oh yeah.  
  
Tristen: *looks in shock* I got PICKED? Really? COOL!! *skips away*  
  
All: o_0  
  
Ryou: Ok.. This is getting to freaky now, we're leaving. C'mon Yami. *drags a confused Yami B. away with him*  
  
Joey: Yeah, I'm leavin' 2, I mean, Tristen got PICKED?? Sheesh, what is this world coming to.?  
  
Tea: Hey, wait 4 me!!! *follows*  
  
Me: Well, I guess that leaves us three. *shrugs* Oh well, you guys are my muses anyway.  
  
Yami: Yeah, true.  
  
Yugi: Ooh, can we do the reviews now? *gives cutest pleading face*  
  
Me: *smiles* Your SO CUTE!! *glomps* Ok, we can do them.  
  
Yugi: @_@ Sure.  
  
To ShadowKat-Shidobukatsu: Ooh, I like that title!! You should definitely use it!! Anyway thanks for reviewing!!  
  
To Blazesgirl: Yes, some of my friends don't like Yu-gi-oh, and yes they sometimes do tease me about it, but I just ignore them. Cuz, I mean, Yu-gi- oh is AWSOME!! Lolz. This is your favorite story? TYVM!! ^_^  
  
To YamiYugigirl2k: Well, you already know the answer to that 1, I told you already on AIM, but now I feel really bad. Ok, I know what I'll do, you'll see. Hehe. leave ya in suspense!! Lolz.  
  
To Towairaito Zoon, QueenOfHearts, KaTyA, and Sailor Star: TYVM for wishing me a Happy B-Day!! I really appreciate it!! ^_~  
  
To Tea Gardner: Yes, the evil computer has ways of sneaking up and smacking you in the face, does it not? I have no idea when we are going to be able to chat though; very busy am I. (Wow where did that come from???)  
  
To Ms. Prongs: Hehe, "Ancient Egypt". *chuckles*  
  
To SeaTheMysticGuardian: OMG OMG OMG REALLY?? That is like SO COO-  
  
Yami: *gently slaps Starheart on the head* Ok, now it's YOUR TURN to shut up. You are being annoying.  
  
Me: *pouts* Meanie.  
  
To all of those SO-APPRECIATED people who gave me ideas that made this chapter possible: THANK YOU SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH!! I LUV ALL OF YOU GUYS, YOU'RE A LIFESAVER!!!  
  
To EVERYONE: G-guys, I don't know what to say!! 97 REVIEWS!! That's almost 100!! Gosh, you have NO IDEA how happy I am, at first I wasn't even planning on continuing this, but I guess I made the right decision, ne? Gosh, I even had some people who reviewed for all of my chapters!! I HAVE FANS!! 0_0  
  
Yugi: Well, you are a good writer, ya know. *blushes*  
  
Me: Aw, thank you Yug'!! *hugs* Hehe, nothin' can spoil my good mood now!! ^_^ ^_^ ^_^  
  
Ok, I better wrap this up, so I can wander up and daydream about all my wonderful reviewers. just kidding lol. Well, enjoy!!  
  
//Quotation// - Yami to Yugi through mind talk /Quotation/ - Yugi to Yami through mind talk 'Thought' - character thought ~*~* and so on - change of scene **** and so on - author's notes to story or vise versa (*.*)- author's notes put in story, but not part of it "Quotation"- Ra/ other god talking  
Chapter 8:  
On My Way ****************************************************************************  
********************************* Joey stared at Yami in shock. "W-what? Why would he go there?" Yami looked away, clearly not even wanting to believe that anything had happened at all. "How should I know? I mean, I've been wrong the whole time, that's why everyone is gone." His voice jerked slightly. "Yami." However, he continued on. "But, I think I might have an idea." Joey listened closely. "Don't you find it odd that Sheantu wanted Yugi, not me? I mean, what would Yugi have to give? It just doesn't make sense. The way I saw him in my ancient past, I would've thought that he would want as much power as possible, and that would mean me. But now I'm not so sure." "Yami, we could be walking into a trap. Are you sure you wanna take dat risk?" Yami simply looked at him, his crimson eyes burning with a determination that Joey had never seen. And even before he replied, Joey knew the answer. "Joey, did I ever tell you what happened when I first met Yugi?" He shook his head. "When I first came out of that puzzle, by Ra, I thought it was a miracle. I had been trapped in that wretched thing for 5 millennia's, always seeing dark, nothing less, nothing more. It could even make you insane, always seeing darkness, but I knew I had to hold on, because I knew I was needed, by someone, somewhere. So when I saw that Yugi was the solver of the puzzle, I was totally shocked. I thought, 'How could someone that small, that defenseless, be the one whose destiny is to save the world?' For a long time I thought about that, but after being with Yugi for a while, it hit me. What one person lacks, he makes up in other ways. Take Yugi for example. Even though he is small and lacks in strength, he has a humongous heart, and that adds up equal to if he had that strength and size. So then I realized: this is the beauty of the puzzle. I have physical assets - strength - and Yugi has mental assets - heart. It fuses together the two and makes one whole, one complete soul. While one person may only have a good mind or body, we have both. That is what makes us unique; we are one, yet we are not. Light and dark. Ying and yang. We are not complete without the other. Do you see where I am going Joey? No matter what, whatever risks there are, I must take them. Because if I do not get Yugi back, it is like giving up half of my soul. And if I do not go to Yugi, he is loosing half of his. So that is why I promised a long time ago that I will let nothing, no matter what, harm Yugi. And, frankly Joey, I intend to stick to that promise. We will go and rescue him and the others. I will not stand for him to be harmed any further. Are you with me?" Joey was so awed by Yami's powerful speech that it took him a few seconds to realize that he was being asked a question. "Joey?" "Wha. oh, of course I am with you. Yugi was always dere for me, and now it's my turn to be dere for him. He's my best bud Yami, of course I'm gonna be dere for 'em." Yami smiled. That made Joey feel just a little bit better; it had been a while since Yami smiled. For a long time they just stood there, waiting for the other to say something. Joey broke the silence. "Say Yami, just how are we gonna get to Egypt? I mean, we can't go on a public plane or nothin' because of the risk of hurting innocent passengers. so what are we gonna do?" Yami got a mischievous glint in his eye, and grinned. "That's easy Joey. We're going to ask for the help of an old friend." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Yugi looked around at his surroundings. It appeared to be of somewhere ancient or misuse, as cobwebs and dust were littered around the perimeter and on the floor. He shivered; the air in the building was warm, but it had a sense of dread and mystery in it; like there was someone else there, but it was so dark and misty that Yugi couldn't tell. Disputing within himself what to do, he decided to go forward; after all, standing there just made him an easy target. Yugi shuddered slightly at that thought: An easy target... But he kept on walking, not sure what he was actually looking for. As he moved on, the air seemed to get thicker and more humid, like the feeling that you get when you know when you are being watched. 'And maybe I am'. Sweat started to trickle down his back, and his pace quickened. The mist swirled faster, and he advanced to a dead run. Panting as he ran, voices seemed to whisper back at him, taunting him, getting louder with every turn of a corner. Yugi closed his eyes and found tears there, he was extremely scared. But this action cost him. Because in the moment he closed his eyes, he ran into something. Or rather someone, for this something grabbed him and hastily pushed a cold-clammy hand over his mouth. Yugi tried to escape, but this person - whoever it was - had an extremely firm grip on him. 'I have to get out of here, I can't breath!' Again he squirmed, but to no avail. "Heheh, do not even hope to get out, you are going nowhere." Yugi's ears twitched at the sound of the voice. It was cracked and hissed, so familiar. "Sheantu!" Yugi cried out, but it only sounded to be a muffle. Sheantu chuckled slyly at the smartness of his prey. 'Ok, now I have to get out of here, NOW! But how?' "Let us go shrimp; the others are dying to see you again." Sheantu snickered. He started to move forward, Yugi with him. 'Ok, THAT'S it!!' Finding his only chance, he did the only thing he could. Time to use those chompers. "OW!! GET BACK HERE YOU BRAT!!" Yugi sprinted faster than he had in all of his life. Praying to God that he didn't run into any walls, he continued on. Apparently, God was on his side today, because suddenly a door presented itself in front of the small teen. Hurriedly he shoved it open, but what he saw made him gasp. Tied to three separate poles, where Tea, Tristen, and Grandpa. They were somewhat okay, but it looked like they hadn't had something decent to eat in a while. Their skin was a sickly pale color, and very dark circles were under their eyes. Grandpa looked the worst of them all, but then again, he wasn't in good shape in the first place; after all, he was pretty old. Yugi scurried up to Tea ad the others. "Guys, guys, are you okay?" Tea was the first to stir. ".Leave us alone." "No, Tea, it's me, Yugi!!" Her eyes snapped open. "Yugi?!" It took a little while for her eyes to avert to her surroundings, but when she saw the pointy-haired boy, she beamed. "Oh my gosh, it really is you! But - don't mind me asking - how did you get here?" "Well, to tell you the truth -" But his answer was cut off. "Yugi, watch out, behind you!" ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ "Yami, are you sure this is such a good idea? I mean, who ever said that Kaiba will actually listen to us? He hasn't in the past." "He will Joey. He owes me and Yugi so much after we saved him from his virtual-adventure game and at Battle City. Even though me and Seto don't clash very well, this is no time for petty complaints. Its time to set our differences aside and work together; we have lives at stake here." Joey said nothing after that. Finally, the duo reached the Kaiba mansion. Yami slowed down and came to a stop a few feet from the front doorstep. Joey saw Yami's sudden halt and looked back at his friend. "You ready?" Yami took a deep breath and walked up to the mansion door, knocking hard on the door. Muffled voices and footsteps were heard, and then the huge oak door slowly opened. 


	9. A Realm of a Different Sort

Disclaimer: Nope, Yu-gi-oh hasn't been auctioned off on EBay yet…. Damn, can't buy it. Well, I guess I couldn't afford it anyway, as I have about as much money to buy a pencil, so…. WELL I CAN DREAM CAN'T I???? -.-;;;

Ok, I am typing this on a very tight schedule, so I don't have time 2 answer reviews, sorry guys. But I finally got an update out!!!! ^^ I know, I know, just don't make the punishments to harsh, k? 

WARNING: Beware of lack of creativity, shortness, clarity, making-of-sense, etc. This was written, er, typed rather, on a VERY SMALL time span!!!!

****

**_Chapter 9: A Realm of a Different Sort_**

***********************************************************************

Yugi nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard Tea scream. He whirled around, planning to dodge whatever was there. But before he could even react to what was coming, Yugi was grabbed harshly around the stomach. Pain seared through his torso under the immense squeeze his captor had on him. Knowing there was know way he could escape this time, he fell limb in the person's arms, not wanting to get hurt any more.

"Let him go you freak!" Tea yelled, furious. "He didn't even do anything to you!"

The figure laughed. Yugi's ears perked; the voice was low and raspy, not like Sheantu's at all. "I would; however, that is not the wishing of my Master. Whatever he says, I obey, and what he wants is this little runt to stay here with the rest of you."

"Who…are…you?" Yugi managed to sputter out; his stomach still felt like it was ripped into shreds, and it was really hard to talk.

Instead of answering, the man lifted up Yugi and shoved him against a pole in the ground. For the second time, his body was on fire, the pain almost too overwhelming to bear. Gritting his teeth, Yugi managed to keep his eyes open. 

With incredible ease, the man snatched rope lying on the ground, and tied it tightly around poor Yugi's arms, legs, and stomach. Tea winced at the sight of her friend in so much agony.

Finished with Yugi, the captor threw off the graying-black hood that was over his head. Dark brown hair and eyes showed through, as well as a very large nose. He gleamed. 

"What do you want from us?" Tea asked, the anger not fading from her voice.

"My Master wants your friends, namely that accursed pharaoh, Yami."

"You'll…never get… to…Yami," Yugi choked out. "He'll…beat you."

The servant snickered. "Oh but I highly doubt he'll beat what we have in store for him now." He snapped his fingers, and a large holographic image appeared in front of the three, lighting up the many cobwebs that littered the corners of the ancient temple floor. Yugi and Tea gasped in horror.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"…know somethin' that'll get on your nerves, get on your nerves, get on your nerves. I know something that'll get on your nerves, and this is how it goes. LOUDER! I know somethin' that'll get on your—"

"JOEY FOR GOODNESS SAKES BE QUIET! I'M TRYING TO DRIVE HERE!"

Yami laughed, both at Seto's "comment" and at Joey's "hurt" expression to it. How the two had managed to be in the same space and actually not kill each other yet was still a mystery to him. Sighing heavily, he stared out into blank space, his attention slowly drifting from the real world and into his mind. He still couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was coming. 'It always seems to be.' he thought grimly. 

"Hey Yam', want somethin' ta eat? We've been in the air for over two hours now I'd guess."

Yami snapped back into reality. "No, I'm okay Joey, you have some. I'll eat later."

"You okay Yami? You seemed…distant ever since we took off."

Yami looked up at his two concerned friends, and faked a smile. "Don't worry Seto, Joey, I really am fine; just a little worried, that's all."

"Why? Don' think we can kick that evil sorcerer's butt?"

"Well, I don't know Joey…" Seto replied from the cockpit. "Sheantu doesn't have to eat every five seconds, so he might have an advantage and all, being he's always there to do whatever evil stuff he has to do." 

"Oh, _very_ funny Kaiba."

"Well, you know it's true."

"…..shut up." Yami laughed. It was times like these where he was glad he had friends to cheer him up.

There was an uncomfortable silence between the three all of a sudden; no one could think of anything to say. Joey looked at Yami, who had, for the trillionth time, resorted to looking out the window, to Seto, who was content on flying, his face slightly showing delight with the sight of blue skies despite his normally cold features. But it all changed as Seto called back to the two passengers. "Yami, Joey, come her for a sec."

Alarmed, Joey and Yami jumped out of their seats and hurried over to him. "What is it Seto, what's wrong?"

Seto pointed to the sight in front of him. "See that? That's what," Yami and Joey stood speechless. "I was hoping you would know what it is."

"Oh, I know what it is, alright." Responded Yami dully, looking hatefully at the large black and purple void in front of them. White lightning zapped in it as he spoke. "It's a Summoning Realm."

"A _what_?"

"A Summoning Realm. While you're in a Summoning Realm, you can summon monsters."

"Like the Shadow Realm?"

Yami sighed. "Yes, but not quite. You see each realm has a different element, and only monsters of that kind can be summoned."

"But how do we know what type of monsters can be summoned there?"

"You don't, and that's the catch. If it is a dragon-summoning realm, Seto's deck would be the one in favor. Mine would thrive in a spellcaster-summoning realm, and yours would most likely be good in an earth or warrior-summoning realm, since most of your cards are of that variety." Yami glared. "I just knew Sheantu would do something like this."

"Yeah."

Seto bit his lip. "Well, here's the deal. Because we've been traveling at such a high speed, a lot of our fuel's been spent. We're going to have to stop to get some more very soon, but…" he looked warily at the sight in front of him. "Looking at the size of this, we'll probably run out of gas just trying to get around it, so…"

"So ya want us to go through it? Are ya out of your mind? We don't even know what type of a realm it is!"

"It's the only way Joey."

"But that's crazy! We might get eatin' alive! Who knows what's in there!"

"Still Joey, I'd rather take my chance going through and finding out than having a definite fall-in-the-ocean scene." Joey said nothing, and lowered his head in silent agreement; deep down he knew Yami was right.

"Very well then, I think it's safe to say it's decided: we're going in."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The loud roars and screeches that echoed through the thick foggy air silenced the reverberation coming from the jet's engines. A hint of mystery was also present, that could make anyone become very edgy and alert. The plane rocked slightly with the many sound waves from the creatures within.

Joey fidgeted. "Um, guys, are you sure 'dis is a good idea? These guys could attack us at any second, and we don't even know what type of a realm it is."

"Well, considering the loud roars and growls coming from the monsters, in addition that there seems to be no ground for them to live on, I'd guess this is either a dragon or wind-type summoning realm." Said Seto, looking out the cockpit window.

Yami narrowed his eyes slightly. "I agree. And they won't attack us, as long as they are ordered not to. Whenever that is, I'm not sure." Joey shivered. His heart was pounding in his chest, as the others were.

Suddenly, Yami looked up from his thoughts. "Did you…hear that?" Seto opened his mouth to reply, but an enormous strike from outside hit the jet with a massive force, instantly knocking Joey and Yami to the ground, since they were standing up.

"Call me crazy, but I think they got their orders." "

"What'da we do?"

"Joey, run to the window and try and see what type of monsters are attacking us. Then I'll see if I have any in my deck. Seto, we have to get this plane moving, or we're never gonna get out of here alive! MOVE!" Joey and Seto nodded and did as they were told, and Yami pulled out his deck from his pocket.

Joey squinted out the window. "I don'… see anything…" Until a huge fireball came whizzing towards the cabin window, and would have burned him to a crisp if he had not jumped out of the way.

"WELL I THINK IT'S SAFE TO SAY THIS IS A DRAGON-SUMMONING REALM CUZ I DON' KNOW NO BIRDS THAT CAN SHOOT FIREFALLS!"

Yami gasped. "Joey, GET OUT OF THE WAY! A TYHONE #2 IS TRYING TO COME IN THROUGH THE HOLE FROM THE FIREBALL!" Joey looked at where the window was, only a few feet away from him, and saw that Yami was indeed right. Dark red with a shooter-like head and yellow wings, it tried to fit its massive body through the opening in the plane. He tried to scramble back, but the turbulence on the plane from the dragon made it almost impossible.

**Warning.**** Warning. Plane damaged. Control down 85%.**

"EIGHTY-FIVE PERCENT!?!?" 

"SETO, YOU HAVE TO TURN THE PLANE TO THE LEFT, NOW!"

"Come on…" he gritted his teeth as he turned the steering wheel as far to the left as he could. "Turn, turn, TURN!" 

The Tyhone # 2 opened its humongous mouth, getting ready to swallow up a very unfortunate Joey…

But was unexpectedly thrown out of the hole with a giant tug, for the jet had finally tuned just in time. Joey screamed as the force slowly dragged him through to the hole as well, despite his desperate attempts to grab onto the floor.

Yami threw his hand out to his friend. "JOEY, GRAB MY HAND!" he yelled, holding onto a seat. Joey stretched out his arm with all his might towards Yami, flailing it like a fish out of water in hopes of grabbing it.

Seto looked back at the scene behind him. "Joey, HOLD ON!" he shouted. 

Yami skipped a breath as Joey fell almost out of the plane, holding onto the very edge for dear life.

"SETO!"

"I'M WORKING ON IT!" 'Come on, you turned before! Turn the other way! TURN YOU STUPID THING, TURN!' But the plane seemed to take all it could, because it wouldn't respond, and started to loose altitude.

_"Attack him!"_

A Blackland Fire Dragon roared and charged towards its prey, getting ready to strike. Joey looked down the dragon with pure terror and closed his eyes, preparing for what would happen next.

"Hold on Joey!" Yami slid down the singed cabin floor and stuck his hand out, holding a small card. "CURSE OF DRAGON, I SUMMON YOU!"

Out of the blue, a huge yellow dragon appeared outside the severely-mutilated jet, waiting for the command from its master. "ATTACK THE BLACKLAND FIRE DRAGON!" Curse of Dragon bellowed out a mighty roar and with a huge blast of fire, destroyed the opposing dragon. It flew around with tremendous speed, also attacking the other numerous dragons trying to get at the two.

"Here Joey, grab my hand!" Following suit, he did as Yami told. The pharaoh pulled with all his strength, trying to get his friend out of the grave situation he was in.

At the worst possible moment, the jet turned back to the right, making Yami and Joey fly to the other side of the cabin and hit the wall with amazing force. 

"GUYS, ARE YOU OKAY?"

Yami groaned in pain. "Yeah Seto…we're okay."

Joey slowly opened his eyes and gasped. "Yami!"

"What?"

"Curse of Dragon!"

"WHAT?" Yami looked out the remaining window and saw what Joey was talking about. A gold and brown checkered dragon with razor-sharp fangs was in combat with Curse of Dragon, and Curse of Dragon wasn't doing so well. "A Kaiser Dragon! It has even higher attack points than my monster!"

"Yami, let me take 'em! I can summon Red Eyes Black Dragon and take 'em out!"

"No, you can't Joey." Joey growled. "WELL WHY NOT?" 

"Because in order to be able to summon monsters in a summoning realm, you have to have some link to the ancient past."

"NOW YOU TELL ME?"

'A link to the ancient past, huh?' "YAMI, TAKE THE WHEEL!"

"What? Are you out of your mind? You're the only one who knows how to drive this thing, not to mention the plane is practically totaled and loosing speed every second!"

"JUST DO IT!"

Reluctantly, Yami stood up shakily and slowly crawled to the cockpit, holding onto permanent objects as he went, because the whole on the other side was still constantly pulling at the two. He finally reached it, and sat in the pilot's seat, for Seto had gotten up. "What are you going to do?" Seto didn't answer, but took off in the direction of the gap in the side. "SETO!"

The Curse of Dragon had had enough, and with a final blast from the Kaiser Dragon, started to dissolve before their very eyes, falling at an incredible rate. Kaiser Dragon let out a loud screech of victory, and looked towards the back plane with blood-red wicked eyes. It opened its mouth, preparing for the closing blow.

Seto finally reached his destination. Pulling something from his pocket, he stuck his hand out that he wasn't holding onto the seat with. Determination glowing back at the powerful Kaiser Dragon, he cried the words a duelist alone would dread to hear: "I SUMMON THE BLUE EYES WHITE DRAGON!"

***********************************************************************

Well, did ya guys like? Hope that kinda made up for the long update. I am sincerely sorry for that, I'll try to make it shorter next time, I am just soooo busy.

On another note: Usually, I would email everyone that has their email address posted when I update. However, it is becoming a real pain because ¾ of the people I email don't review anyway, and because the email service I have sucks, I can only email like 8 people at a time, so I'm usually stuck sending out 3 emails at a time. So, if you want me to email you when I update, please tell me in your review or via email. THIS WILL BE THE LAST TIME I EMAIL EVERYBODY!!! 

*sighs* Well, now that I got that out, um, review! ^^;;


	10. Lord of the Dragons

Disclaimer: I swear, whoever made this thing is a complete moron; I mean, of _course I don't own Yu-gi-oh, like, if I did, there is no way in hell I'd be writing a stupid fic about it!!_

Me: Well hello again everyone!! ^.^ It seems that I have finally returned to life and have been able to update this fic!! Okay, actually, I just had some time off. ^^;;

Yami: *sighs* I seriously don't get you.

Me: Um, that would be a good thing…I guess…. Anywho, onto the reviews!!

To QueenOfHearts3: *laughs* Yes, I do believe it is safe to assume that. Glad you liked it!!

To rox1: Thank you. ^^;; And I'll be sure to email you!!

To YamiYugigirl2k: Ok, let's see here… thank you, I will, no really I will, bye, and yes, I will see you on IM…or I did… oy vey. @.@

To K.C. Whitestar: I'm happy you thought that was funny. I figured I should enter something like that into the story, I mean, Seto and Joey together in a plane? The possibilities are endless!! Lol.

To Amiasha Ruri: It no longer lets you send emails? O.0 Now I have seen it all… Luckily my email address service hasn't resorted to that yet, but there's still time. -.-;;

To Jadesaber: Delighted you liked it, and thanks for reviewing!!

To Lobo Kendo: Indeed, the "homework hiatus" is finally over. Thank God for summer!! *cheers* Although summertime is show time, if ya know what I mean. *sighs* And yes Lobo, I'm very disappointed in you!! What is wrong with you, not being the very first to review for the chapter!? No, just kidding, don't be so hard on yourself, you know I don't mind. ^.~ 

To Sparky16: Glad you enjoyed it!!

To Meroko1: Why thank you. *blushes* And I'm afraid you not remembering is probably my fault, because I didn't update in so long ^^;; Sorry 'bout that!!

To ShadowKat-Shidobukatsu: Well…yes and no. If you read closely, Seto only gave Mokuba one of his BEWD, and not his deck. That will play a role later on, and maybe Mokuba will be involved too… Whoops!! Don't wanna let ya know too much!! ^.~

To Anya1: I'm very fortunate you understand my problem. Thanks for the review!!

To LilxAznxDragonz: I'm pleased you approve of this fic. I hope this chapter will not disappoint!

Yami: Hey Star, how are we going to get out of this "Summoning Realm"? 

Me: Well, I can't tell you now, that would ruin the whole point of the chapter, wouldn't it? -.-;;

Yami: Oh…yeah. ^^;;

Me: *sighs*

Yugi: *laughs* I wish I could say this was uncommon…

//Quotation// - Yami to Yugi through mind talk

/Quotation/ - Yugi to Yami through mind talk

'Thought' – character thought 

~*~* and so on – change of scene

**** and so on – author's notes to story or vise versa

(*.*)- author's notes put in story, but not part of it

"Quotation"- Ra/ other god talking

****

**_Chapter 10: Lord of the Dragons_**

***********************************************************************

You could see the fear in the dragons' eyes as the humongous winged beast materialized from the side of the dying plane. Vicious and snarling, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon was one of the most powerful beings in Duel Monsters, and, when given the order, could easily take out any that stood in its path. Its glowering blue eyes were so much like its master: fierce, determined, and cold; yet the rest of its white body was smooth and majestic, giving it the impression of something legendary and mysterious.

Seto's voice rang clearly through the bitter air, stinging it like a bee. "BLUE-EYES WHITE DRAGON, ATTACK THESE FOOLS WITH YOUR WHITE LIGHTNING! SHOW THEM WHO THE _REAL_ DRAGON IS!" Blue Eyes responded by letting out an almighty roar, permitting rows upon rows of razor-sharp pearly-white teeth visible. With a flap of its regal wings, it raised high in the air, took off towards the Kaiser Dragon and blasted it to smithereens.

Seto decided that the dragons were less of a threat now; Blue Eyes could take care of them well by itself. Instead, he slowly and clumsily made his way back to the cockpit, for the plane was shaking even more horribly them before and through the hole he could see how fast they were falling. When he finally reached it, he was met with Yami, muttering incoherent curses under his breath and yelling in frustration as he tried desperately to gain control of the plummeting jet. He spotted Seto through the mirror above the windshield. "I CAN'T CONTROL IT! WE MIGHT HAVE TO JUMP!" He noticed a twinge of fear pass through Yami's face at the thought, but it left as quickly as it came.

Seto let out a growl of aggravation. After all he had just accomplished, it might have been for nothing. 'No…there has to be a way out of this…there just has to be!' he though frantically. His mind drifted to the other objects stored in the aircraft's compartments that might be able to help them. 'Let's see…water bottles, extra food, parachutes, blankets, air masks, a life raft, cable cord…' Seto's eyes widened. 'That's it!' 

He turned to Yami. "Yami, continue attempting to keep it steady! Whatever you do, don't stop trying, do you understand?" Yami looked doubtful and perplexed, but he nodded and turned his attention back to performing the miracle of controlling the jet. Seto then turned and headed closer to Joey, who was clutching a bolted-down chair with his eyes shut and holding on for dear life. He looked up when he saw Seto coming and scrunched up his face; clearly the wind was so forceful that it stung his eyes greatly to keep them open. 

Seto was right next to Joey now. His body blocked part of the air stream going into Joey's eyes so his face became slightly more relaxed. He pointed to the floor under him; his mouth was so dry from the wind he found words quite impossible to form. At first, Joey stared at him as though he was crazy, but gazing down he understood. A small latch was placed in-between the two, and looking closely one could see the outline of a small square-shaped compartment. 

Joey pulled it up with enormous difficulty (again, because of the wind resistance) and found many items attached to the bottom by means of a wide back crissed-crossed elastic band that held everything in place. Seto pointed to an extremely long coil of cord and three parachutes. Following Seto's lead, Joey grabbed the selected items. He put on a parachute and gave the remaining ones to Seto, who in turn crawled over and gave one to Yami before strapping one on himself. Seto wasted no time; he knew every second counted. After making sure his parachute was fully secured to him, he once again made his way, Joey following close behind, to the hole in the side of the jet, now considerably larger than before. When the blond was right behind him, he pulled out his deck and summoned his second Blue Eyes, its white glossy skin glowing like the last.

"What are we doin'?" Joey shouted, glancing from the thick cord in his hands to Seto's dragon.

The other teen was ready. "We have to stop this plane from falling, right?" Joey made no motion, but his hazel eyes showed a clear 'yes'. Seto continued. "Then we're going to have to use the only source of power we've got – our dragons!" 

Joey looked skeptical. "Are ya outa your mind? We're goin' so fast we're for sure gonna fall right off!"

"Got any other plans!?"

Joey looked straight ahead, past the new Blue Eyes, to the first that was battling fiercely with a Tri-Horned Dragon. "No." he quietly murmured.

"Well then, there's no other choice! We've got to use the dragons!" Admitting defeat, Joey sulkily nodded. "Well then, let's rock and roll." They both grinned.

"Alright then, here's what we do!" shouted Seto over the Tri-Horned Dragon, who let out an agonizing roar as it was defeated. "While building this plane I made loopholes on both of the wings to make it easier to transport. If my calculations are correct, we should be able to string the cord through them and then attach it to one of my Blue Eyes— he pointed to his second dragon, which was flying alongside the plane destroying any monsters who dared to go near it— which could get this thing under control and get us out of this mess!"

At first he thought Joey would yell at him, tell him he was crazy, that that was the stupidest thing he ever heard and it would never work – but, to his surprise, he exclaimed, "Okay then, let's go! Call your dragon over! The sooner we do it, the better if ya know what I mean!"

Seto yelled for his dragon, which obediently flew over to them after destroying yet another adversary. Besides a deep gash on its tail from what looked like a spike, it was perfectly unharmed. He took a couple of labored steps backwards, then ran and jumped, letting the wind take him. He was going so fast that if it has not been for the dragon's wing, he would have flown right off. "Come on!" he screamed to Joey as he found a dragon scale to hold onto. Joey mimicked the CEO and was soon on the dragon as well, the end of the cord swishing at his side.

Right away they got to work. First they flew to the right wing, being as steady as possible while Joey leaned over the dragon's side to look to cord through the fastening, while Seto would hold the other end. It was a very dangerous task; due to the awkward positions Joey was subjected to, he almost fell off numerous times (Seto would have to grab his legs to stop him), and occasionally Blue Eyes would have to change position so it could shoot its White Lightning at an opponent, or dodge a coming attack to keep its passengers safe. But, at long last, they finally got the cord through the second loophole. All that was left now was to somehow attach the cord to the Blue Eyes White Dragon and Seto's plan would be complete.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Yami growled yet again as the plane leaned to the right instead of straight. How they were going to get out of this one, he had no idea. The problem wasn't necessarily while they were in the Summoning Realm, here they at least had the dragons to help them out; the challenge was how on earth they were going to stop the plane from crashing into the ground without seriously injuring or even killing themselves, both in and out of the realm.

Yami had no idea what Seto was up to, but knowing him, it was probably some wild complicated plan that only he would think of. Whatever it was, he very much hoped it worked, but somehow, he had a very bad feeling about it. And that feeling was about to intensify.

At first, he thought it was an illusion of his; but then realization hit him. Through the slightly cracked windshield, a gigantic white dragon with clawed legs and arms flew in front of the jet, just to get close enough to strike. With an almighty roar and a blast of white light from its mouth, it destroyed the dragon close to it. But this was no ordinary dragon, Yami knew. Only one dragon had that presence, that roar and that attack: the Blue Eyes White Dragon. What disturbed him, however, was not the creature that flew over him; it was the people riding on it. There, on top of the dragons back, were Seto and Joey, holding on with all there might, with a long coil of yellow cord protruding from one of Joey's clenched fists. The dragon flew back overhead and was rendered once again out of sight.

'That's it,' thought Yami definitely. 'They've positively lost their minds this time.' It would have been funny if things weren't so serious.

**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**

"Seto!" shouted Joey as he pulled the cord to release the slack. "How the hell are we gonna tie dis around a dragon? There's no way we can get dis cord under it!"

Seto grimaced when he grasped that Joey was indeed right. He now realized that his dragon was much to wide for both of them to lean over on opposite sides and grab each other's end and then tie it, no, that would definitely not work. They could, of course, have one of them stand on top of the plane and do it that way, but that was totally out of question, and possible suicidal, considering that person would have a 99% of falling off from the wind and smooth surface. Truthfully, Seto did not think this would be easy at all, in fact far from it, but now that he comprehended this, his whole plan seemed useless. Undeniably, they had done the first step of it, though it wasn't easy. But the second part… it seemed impossible now. 

'Think Seto, think! You've got two dragons, cord, and a falling jet that's about to hit rock bottom. _There has to be a way_.'

"Seto! I think I got it!"

Seto snapped out of his thoughts and turned his attention towards Joey. While he doubted that the teen could think of a good enough plan, it was better than anything he could come up with at the moment. "What is it Joey?"

Joey cleared his parched throat. "Well, think about it… we've got two dragons out, right? So maybe we don't hafta do anything at all. I mean, they'll do anything we tell 'em to do, so basically dey could do it themselves. What I'm tryin' to say, is _let 'em do the work for us_."

Seto stared at Joey as if he was insane. "What the hell is that supposed to mean, '_let them do the work for us'_? They can't just reach over and tie a loop around a dragon!"

"No, but they can fly, and—"

"I KNOW THEY CAN FLY!" Seto was getting angry with all of Joey's riddles. He was the kind of person who got everything told to him straight forward, and he didn't like to play mind games.

"WHAT I'M TRYIN' TO SAY, IF YOU WOULD STOP INTERUPPTIN'—" Joey literally screamed. "IS THAT WE CAN TIE THE CORD TO THE SECOND BLUE EYES AND MAKE HIM FLY AROUND THE FIRST!"

Seto said nothing for a minute. Suddenly, however, he looked like he could hug his partner, but being Seto Kaiba, that was out of the question. "Joey, you are a _genius_!" Joey sweatdropped. "It was nothin'."

'Of course, I should've seen it before!' "BLUE EYES!" the brunette called and his first dragon flew up besides the second. He took his end of the cord and hastily tied it to the dragon's right leg, which was not an easy task, taking into account that he had to use virtually only one hand to do it, and the constant movement from under him didn't help either. But finally, he had it done. Everything was set and ready.

'Ok, now here's where it gets tricky.' "Blue Eyes, you have to fly around this dragon and come up from under it on my side, got it?" he asked. The Blue Eyes White Dragon roared in response. It flapped its giant jagged wings and gained height, flying sideways to the other end, and then started to go down, every so often sending a White Lightning attack to the dragons in front of it (though their numbers had greatly decreased; Blue Eyes had wiped a great deal of them out).

Joey grunted in pain as the cord threatened to slip from his hands. "Seto, I'm loosing it!" he managed to sputter out with what energy he had left. Seto immediately crawled over to the middle of the dragon and grabbed the cord as well. Joey was exhausted; he could see it in his eyes, in his actions, and in his words. In fact, it appeared that he could pass out at any moment. This did not surprise Seto; Joey had been through a lot getting this plan to work, and the continuous wind blowing roughly against them took energy out of both of them. Seto knew they didn't have much time. He certainly couldn't do this by himself, and if Joey passed out… Well, he didn't want to think about it. The point was this had to happen quicker.

"COME ON BLUE EYES, FASTER!" he yelled at his dragon, which was at the moment coming up from the bottom. He looked at the cord in his and Joey's hands, and felt his stomach double over. It was starting to pull. 'No… no, it can't be to short, it just can't…' The Blue Eyes started to make its way to Seto, and the cord got increasingly tighter; so tight, that the second Blue Eyes roared in discomfort. Seto and Joey looked at each other in horror.

"Oh my God Seto… it's too short!" Joey yelled in panic.

"NO IT'S NOT! JUST PULL!" screamed Seto, refusing to believe it. He was not going to give up now, not when they had got this far. Joey didn't want to cause an argument, so he did as Seto had told. 

Just when it seemed that it couldn't get any tighter, the first Blue Eyes reared its mighty head and reached its owner. Seto looked worriedly at Joey. "I can…hold it…go…" 

"Joey, are you—"

"JUST GO!"

Seto was startled by Joey's spur of liveliness, but for once, did not want to get in his way. He hesitantly let go of the cord, and nearly grabbed it again when he saw Joey start to slide. 

"GO!"

Seto finally made up his mind, and grabbed the cord around the Blue Eyes' foot. He weaved his hands like lightning through the cord to untie it and within mere seconds he was done. The freed Blue Eyes flew up and away towards other enemy dragons, and Seto was relived to see Joey was no longer slipping and sliding; unleashing his monster gave more length to the cord, just enough that it wasn't too short (*Ya gotta remember, this dragon is gigantic! So the rope needed to tie around its foot must be at least a fairly large amount*). Joey sighed and wiped the sweat off his forehead. "Here." Seto motioned, and Joey handed him his end of the cord. He tied the two ends together again and again, so much so that the finished knot resembled a big yellow ball. "I think that should hold it." Joey smiled.

And, with two big leaps, they landed on the unbounded Blue Eyes and headed for the plane, now flying steady and under control. They were safe. For now.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Yami exhaled heavily as he felt the plane steady out and rise. Obviously, whatever Seto and Joey had planned to do succeeded, because it was now much easier to direct the jet. He inwardly wondered what they had done to achieve such a feat, but slowly, he began to put the pieces together. 'Dear Ra… the Blue Eyes must be pulling us…' Yes, that was the only possible conclusion, since it was basically all they had that could stop a plane from falling, though he did not know how. 

Yami very much wanted to look out the hole and check if Joey and Seto were okay, since he had not seen them or the dragon, but he knew that he had to steer the plane, or what was left of it anyway. And besides, if the plan worked, that was bound to mean that they managed to get to safety, right? 'Well, you never know… this _is_ Joey and Kaiba we're talking about…' 

As if to answer his puzzlement, his ears met with a soft _thump_ and Joey's cussing, followed by Seto's. Yami felt the great nervous sensation he had before lighten a bit. They were safe. Yami decided he could spare a look behind for a few seconds. He hurriedly pried his attention from the controls to his two friends, who were practically collapsing from exhaustion. He immediately grew concerned. "Are you guys okay?"

Seto picked up Yami's voice amongst the deafening sounds of both the wind and the dragons outside. "I'm fine," he managed to muster through his parched lips, "but Joey doesn't look so good." Yami nodded, taking notice to Joey's labored breathing and buckling knees. He pointed to the bolted-down seat Joey was holding onto before. "Put him there!" he yelled. Seto took heed to Yami's orders and soon had his friend secure in place in the chair. He then made his way to Yami, but upon reaching him, found him getting out of the pilot's seat. 

"I believe this place is yours." He said simply, reading Kaiba's mystified face. Seto stood there tentatively for a minute, but when the plane started to rock ever so slightly from having no pilot, speedily took his position in the captain's seat. With Seto's excellent flying skills, in next to no time the jet was back under control. 

Just then, Yami looked ahead of them. "Seto look!" he said. The older Kaiba did so, and what he thought must be bad news, wasn't. Normally, the darkness of the Summoning Realm would go on forever, and it would appear to have no end; now, however, the black had tuned to a light grey and some specks of white light shone through the barrier. "The end of the Summoning Realm." Seto whispered softly. He pursed his lips together, and with relit hope, pushed a red button on the dashboard.

A double set of engines located under the first pair roared to life, and the front of the plane literally soared upwards due to the newfound power. The fastened Blue Eyes bellowed loudly at the change of pace, and had to beat its gigantic wings furiously to keep up. Yami was nearly blown backwards by the force. Joey and Seto found themselves glued to their seats. The other dragons, including the first Blue Eyes, were getting rapidly smaller behind them. And through the windshield, a particular grey spot was getting closer and closer.

Yami gasped as he regained composure. "Seto, _please_ let me know when you're going to do something like that." 

Seto grinned sheepishly. "Sorry." He had to fight the urge to turn around at the rival summoners and yell, "Suckers!", but he had more important things to do. For one, the plane was going so fast that it became hard for the Blue Eyes White Dragon to control it, making it unsteady again and leaving mostly Seto in command, which wasn't doing well because the jet wasn't responding to just about anything he did. And second of all, and maybe most important, was to think of a plan to get them on the ground in one piece. 

But the plan could wait for now. Seto tried as hard as he could to steer them out of harms way. So far, it was working. The end was near, and no dragons except his Blue Eyes could come remotely close to keeping up with them.

Finally, they were only feet away from the opening. Their dragons started to dissolve in thin air right before their eyes, causing the cord that was once tied tightly to a Blue Eyes fall loosely and fly away. Joey, Seto and Yami all smiled. They were going to make it.

Just before they fully escaped, one of the unknown summoners let out a chilling message. _"You may have won now, but next time you won't be so lucky. For we will get you, _all of you_, and then you will be the ones begging for mercy!" _And with that, the plane disappeared out of the void, leaving the travelers inside a very challenging task ahead of them.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Yugi moaned and opened his eyes. 'Where am I?' he thought. His blinked a few times and his blurred vision cleared. The floor underneath him was no longer the uneven rock floor there was before; now, a smooth patterned tile met his feet instead. Enormous golden statues of Egyptian gods played out next to him and around the walls, which were covered in hieroglyphs. Yugi looked above him and found he was tied at the foot of one, which seemed to be a woman with a headdress in the shape of a throne. 'Isis.' He smirked. Yami had taught him well. There were torches in between every statue, making the room faintly stuffy. Amidst the sculptures of Ra and Anubis, a stairway let upwards until it was out of view. 'We must be underground then' Yugi concluded. 

What disturbed the hikari the most, however, were the weapons lined up on the walls, ranging from pointed spears to metal swords. He felt like ice cube had dropped into his stomach. "I must be in a dueling arena… that's why all the statues are lined up on the perimeter, not in the middle, and the reason for the weapons…" Yugi whispered. Remembering that Tea, Tristan and Grandpa were also with him before, he searched frantically around for them, but to no avail. Wherever he was, he was there by himself… or so he thought.

"So," a voice said in the shadows. "It seems you have figured out the purpose for this room."

Yugi would have jumped, if he were not tied so tightly. He turned his head to the owner of the voice, and found Sheantu stepping out from the darkness. 

'I should have known…' "Where are we? Why are we here?"

Sheantu laughed his snakelike laugh. "Do you think I would be so foolhardy to tell you where we are? That would ruin everything! But, I shall tell you something, since you have been such a good guest." He snickered. "This is the place where I dueled the pharaoh, before he sent me to that wicked Shadow Realm. This is the place where I lost it all, and where I shall gain it all back."

Yugi's eyes widened. "What do you mean?"

Again, Sheantu laughed. "You shall see soon enough." 

Yugi gulped. "Wh…where are the others?"

Sheantu grinned mischievously and started to circle the little one, his narrowed elusive eyes never wavering from the opposing pair. "They are not here. But do not worry they are safe." He said, observing Yugi's worried expression. "They will not be harmed as long as I do not order it. Not that it matters," he added, "for both they and you will stay here forever."

"That's not true!" Yugi exclaimed. "Yami and Joey will get us out of here!"

Sheantu smirked. "You did not hear?"

He looked up. "Hear what?"

"Well, it seems that that boy Kaiba has joined your little group of 'rescuers'."

Yugi looked both confused and surprised. "Seto? But why? He's never done anything for me before, in fact he seems to want nothing to do with me…" he trailed off, remembering all the snide remarks Seto made whenever he came face to face with him. 

"Well," replied Sheantu, "it seems that Kaiba does indeed have a soft spot for you, one which he does not willingly show very often." He scowled. "I'll admit, this was not part of my original plan… but it does not matter. Because in the end, none of them shall prevail, no matter who they take with them."

"That's not true!" Yugi cried. "They'll get here!"

"Is that so?" Sheantu said slyly. "How do you know that they're actually looking for you?"

"Because!" answered Yugi. "Because I know Yami and Joey, they have to be looking for me…"

"Yes, but how well do you really know Kaiba?" Sheantu said, still circling Yugi.

Yugi was taken aback by the question. How well _did_ he really know Kaiba? They weren't really friends, just rivals, and he definitely wasn't sure Seto would go out of his way to save him, even if his life was on the line. "You're wrong…" he whispered softly.

"You just think that, but if you only knew where they are right now, you'd think differently," Yugi fidgeted. "But enough chit chat. Unlike you, I have… _things_… to attend to, so if you'll excuse me…" He vanished in a cloud of smoke.

"Yami…" Yugi whispered hoarsly into the hazy air. "Yami… please come soon, I don't know how much longer I can take any more of Sheantu's tormenting. Please brother, hurry."

And with that, he curled up into a ball and cried himself into a plagued sleep.

***********************************************************************

Me: Wah!! I'm so mean!! *sniff sniff*

Yami: Wow… did you actually write a semi _long_ chapter?

Me: Yeah… I kinda felt obligated to do it cuz it took soooooo long to get this update out… That and I'm going to Maine for 10 days on Saturday, and school starts on the 4th. So I had to get it out before then, otherwise it would've been _much _longer.

Yugi: Well that was nice of you… I think…

Me: Yeah, and my reviewers deserve it. For dealing with me. ~.^

Yami: O…k…. o.0;;

Me: *laughs* Review please!!


	11. A Surprise Traveler

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-gi-oh.

Me: Sorry for the long wait, life for me is _not _going to well for me right now at all. My computer keyboard breaks, then the mouse; and now, my best friend got in a car accident. *cries* 

Yugi: *pats back*

Me: *sniffs* Sorry. I'm not gonna do the reviews tonight, frankly I'm too damn tired and miserable, which means this chapter is going to be crap, but I'll edit it later if I have to. 

Yugi: It won't be crap, nothing you write is crap.

Me: Yeah right. *cries of sadness and walks away*

Yugi: *sighs* Well, I tried. Since obviously Star's upset and isn't going to explain fully what happened, check her bio; she's posted it there. Otherwise, enjoy chapter 11. *chases after Starheart*

**_Chapter 11: A Surprise Traveler_**

***********************************************************************

The red sand blew quickly over the many hills and dips of the desert, and a thick haziness, caused by the scorching sun, settled in the air like a fog. Though everything else was orange and yellow, the sky stuck out a daring blue that almost made it seem out of place. Sandstorms occurred every so often with the force of a small tornado, and while there seemed no immediate threat at first, the sweltering heat and harsh arid winds told a different story. Life was hard here, and even the few small desert creatures scurried underneath to avoid the immense heat, or made their way to the river, the only source of water within thousands of miles. 

And among this desolate life, Tea Gardner lay unconscious, face-first in the sand.

Groaning as she awoke, she tiredly opened her eyes and pushed herself up off the ground with her arms to observe her surroundings. Ahead of her, three-dimensional triangular structures loomed in the distance, though they were hard to depict due to the swirling sand and blinding sun that bore into her eyes like millions of high-powered search lights. She was weak, beaten down by the sandy winds and hot sun for what seemed like days. Coughing, Tea found her throat to be parched. "I need water," she said feebly, "or I'll never live an hour out here. I don't know how I got here in the first place, but I can't dwell on that now; first I gotta find shelter." She stood up and turned around in the other direction, covering her eyes with one of her hands, and squinted. 

What she glimpsed made her heart jump with joy. Not far in the distance, a small village loomed in her midst, along with what appeared to be a big long, blue thing that stretched as far as the eye could see. It seemed that the town was spread out along it, as if it depended on it. "That must be the Nile River then," Tea presumed. She nodded. Realizing what she had to do, Tea took a dry, deep breath, and ventured out over the golden hills of Egypt.

**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**

'I was stupid to think I could make it all this way without water.'

Tea looked hopelessly at the town further on. It had seemed like it was going to be such a short walk before, like it was so near…yet an hour passed and it did not come across as being any closer. And that hour had taken several things away from Tea: her energy, her stored water, and more importantly, her faith. With each passing second, going on became less vital and giving up more of an option. In her heart, she knew she could not hold out much longer, and her body agreed. 

"No…," she kept telling herself, "I have to get there….there must be….someone….that can….help me…."

But even as Tea said it she doubted it. She had not seen anyone while she was walking, and if there was someone she was sure she would have glimpsed them by now…

Finally, her body had had enough. She fell down of exhaustion, the gritty sand smacking against her knees and bringing instant pain. Tears would have welled up in her eyes had she not been so dehydrated. She coughed again, this time more roughly, and looked down at the sand.

'Well, I guess this is it,' she thought desolately. She didn't have enough energy to speak. 'I'm sorry Yugi, Joey, Tristan, Yami….I tried.' Her vision became fuzzy, and she found the little pieces of sand she was looking at now became one big blur of color. She started to slowly close her eyes.

And that was when she heard it. A faint voice, yelling in the distance to someone she didn't know, and how it sounded so desperate… Could it be calling out to her? A whisper of hope glimmered in her mind, and using every bit of energy and will she had, Tea lifted her head up slightly and gently opened her eyes. 

Yet again, all the girl could see was a wisp of color, but something was stood out. For amidst the red sand and sun, the blue sky and yellow buildings, an odd tan figure moved in the distance. It was huge, much too big to be a human, and it was trotting over the desert sands without quagmire. Above it, however, sitting on its rounded back, a smaller character sat, waving his arms, every now and then cuffing his mouth.

Tea nearly died of happiness. At long last, her savior had arrived. But would he make it in time? He still seemed so far away. Could he even see her? Was this just an illusion, just a malevolent trick of her mind? These thoughts plagued her brain, and before she knew it, she felt her head hit the hot sand beneath her. The last thing she heard was the stranger's voice before she fell into darkness.

**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**

They were not out of danger yet.

As a matter of fact, they were probably in more danger currently then they were before; at least in the Summoning Realm, they had their dragons. Now they had nothing except the roaring of the struggling engines and Joey's skills to get them out of this mess.

Joey was strapped in a passenger's seat looking terrified, and Yami had managed to get into the assistant pilot's chair and was holding on for dear life. The wind force inside the jet was incredible. Unfastened objects that had not fallen out already were flying through the enormous tear implanted on the side, and a hit from one of them was so great it could easily knock someone unconscious. 

Seto spared a hand and passed a pair of headphones with a speaker attached to them to Yami. "Call any local airports nearby," he instructed, "Tell them we've got a falling plane and to clear all runways." He pointed to a red button.

Yami nodded and pressed it. Immediately, a computerized voice spoke in his ears: **Searching for all local airports. Searching….Searching…. One airport found. Connected to **Nanjing**** Airway Services and Airport.****** Chinese translator on.**

"Mayday, mayday!" Yami yelled, "We've got a falling plane and we need a runway."

"….State your location."

Yami looked at the radar. "It appears to be 118 degrees North and 33 degrees West."

"Standby………………………………………….Ok, we have you sighted. We'll update our coordinates onto your radar." 

Yami looked and found, just like the man said, a now flashing green dot was spotted on the navigation system. Seto glanced at it and nodded his approval, then went back to trying to control the plane. 

"Hold on tight guys."

Yami gazed at Seto. "What do you mean?"

Seto gritted his teeth. "This airport is closing in much faster then I anticipated. We're going to have to start diving right now."

Joey face faulted. "Now? We're going so fast we won't be able to get the plane level when we reach the ground!"

"We don't have a choice!" Seto shouted, his face red with frustration, "We're already falling, and if we don't we'll pass it, and then we wont have anywhere to land! We've gotta risk it!" 

Yami buckled his seatbelt. "Ok. Let's go."

Seto did a thumbs up, took a deep breath, and pushed the control stick upwards.

Without warning, the plane took a sharp dip, and Joey and Yami and even Seto found themselves tilted forward by the extreme gravitational pull. The only thing that was keeping the jet from rocking was the tremendous speed from the extra boosters; indeed, if they were not on it would be rocking so violently it would seem like it was a puppet being thrown from side to side by invisible string. 

"Yami." Seto said. Yami looked at him. "When I count to three, I want you to put the wheels down. Got it?"

Yami bobbed his head as he watched the airport become rapidly closer. He put his hand over a small black button marked "Wheels." 

"One…." Seto turned off the boosters, and instantly the plane became unsteady once more. He clenched his teeth and grasped the joystick with two hands to keep it steady as the speed swiftly decreased.

"Two…." Joey closed his eyes in terror as the plane began to sway as it did earlier. This could not happen, not now….

Seto growled loudly as his commands to turn level were ignored. Warning signs beeped stridently as the plane neared the ground, and Yami glanced at Seto nervously. "Come on Seto, you can do it," Yami said encouragingly, though it showed hints of fear.

"COME ON!" Seto yelled, "MOVE! MOVE YOU DAMN THING MOVE!" But the jet obviously did not listen to verbal orders because it kept plummeting to the ground.

Yami decided it was time to take matters into his own hands. The third eye shined brightly on his forehead, and within seconds the plane was engulfed in a magnificent white light that made the two remaining passengers cover their eyes. It finally died down, but the outline of the plane was still glowing.

"What the hell are you doing?" Joey screamed at Yami, but Yami did not respond. His eyes were unblinkingly concentrated and the eye still gleamed on his forehead. Unbuckling his seat belt, he stood up, miraculously not falling backwards, and held out his hands, motioning them upwards.

Slowly, the aircraft started to level out. The airport was so close now that you could see the shocked faces of the people running from the glowing plane as it descended to the runway. Joey stared in amazement. Seto, realizing that they would touch down in mere seconds, put in the control to make the wheels come down, and was greatly surprised that they responded. 

At long last, the plane finally landed. The elder Kaiba pulled the throttle back, and the plane, still radiant with the white light, eventually came to a halt. 

The light that outlined the wounded jet faded away, and Yami slumped to the ground in fatigue. Seto, still in shock, unfastened his safety belt and checked Yami over. Joey joined him soon after.

"Is he okay?" he asked, panting.

"He'll be fine," Seto replied, finding a pulse, "He just fainted from exhaustion."

"What the hell did he do?"

Seto shook his head. "I dunno. Let's just be happy that we made it."

"Oh, I'm joyous." Joey responded. Seto grinned.

"Let's get out of here; I'm kinda sick of this plane, aren't you?" 

"Yeah, I say we burn it afterwards." They both laughed, and with Seto carrying the unconscious Yami on his back, exited the jet at last. 

**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**

Yami awoke to the sound of running water and the humming of a computer. He moaned and leisurely propped himself up, opening his eyes to the sight in front of him. Seto was typing something on his laptop on the other single bed adjacent to Yami's, both of which had a simple flowered bedspread with blank sheets. Not far from Seto's bed against the wall was a matching couch that had all of their supplies strewn over it, and completely across the room in front of Yami's bed sat a TV on a small brown dresser.  To the right of Yami was a white door that matched the wall (which Yami assumed was the bathroom due to the steam coming from the door), and on the wall next to it was the entry door, which was also white. The maroon rug finished the room.

Seto noticed Yami's movement and shut the case of his laptop. "Finally awake huh? It's about time."

"What do you mean?" Yami asked in confusion.

"You were out cold for three days now. Whatever you did on that jet must have tired you out a lot." Seto raised an eyebrow. "Say, what _did you do on the plane?"_

Yami shrugged. "Magic," he said simply.

"Oh that helps me out a great deal," Seto said sarcastically.

Yami looked around. "Where are we anyway? I remember landing somewhere called Nanjing Airport or something, so I'm assuming we're in Nanjing, but what country is that in?"

"China," Seto replied. "That void we went through must have been very long, because we're about one hundred miles inland then we were prior to going into it. Before, we were over the Yellow Sea, remember?"

"Oh yeah," Yami said thoughtfully, remembering the big body of water they were traveling over previously. 

"The only problem is, none of us speak Chinese," the Kaiba said, grinning. "Luckily, one of the guys at the airport spoke English, and he hooked us up with this hotel here. Nice guy."

Yami nodded. "Joey in the shower?"

"Yeah," Seto said, indicating to the door with steam coming from it and shaking his head, "If must have told him a million times; he can't take a long shower, it gets steamy in here and there's no windows." Yami smiled.

It became quiet again, with the exception of the running water coming from the bathroom. Seto dazed out, seemingly in a daydream, and Yami flopped back on his pillow and looked at the ceiling. He still could not believe that this had happened; that Yugi and the others were gone, that Sheantu had returned, even the adventures they had had already, and the fact that he shared them with his biggest rival. He chuckled; who knew Kaiba could be so kind? The Kaiba he knew was always so dark-hearted and cold. Privately Yami wondered if there secrets that Seto kept to himself, things of his past that made him so cruel, but if Kaiba  didn't want to tell him, then he wasn't going to push it. He did owe him, after all, for getting them this far. Though he hated to admit it, he and Seto would not have gotten anywhere if it wasn't for his help.

Yami turned to Seto, apparent on asking him a question, but stopped when he noticed the look of sadness on his face. "What's wrong?" he questioned softly, worried.

Seto broke out of his trance. "Nothing," he snapped viciously. He turned away and grabbed his laptop from its position next to him on the bed, and began to type once more. 

Yami sighed. 'I guess you can't change the old Seto totally,' he thought sourly. But he found that it didn't bother him that much anyway; he felt that if Seto didn't want to tell, then he didn't have to (and wasn't going to). He himself had matters he did not wish to expose to the others. He just wished that this would all be over soon.

**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**

_"Do you think she'll okay?"_

_"I don't know; she has been out for a week now."_

_"Who is she?"_

Tea stirred and slowly opened her eyes. Immediately, they became blurry, but after blinking a few times she could see clearly. In front of her was a woman wearing a white dress with long sandy blonde hair tied up in a bun and brown eyes, clutching a damp cloth and looking concerned. Next to her was the man Tea recognized from the desert, holding the bowl that she presumed went with the cloth. He, like his wife, also had sandy blond hair, but with blue eyes, and was wearing brown pants with a nice white shirt.

"I don't mean to be rude, but who are you?" asked the lady, an Egyptian accent ringing in her voice.

"Tea Gardner," she responded, appearing confused. "Where am I?"

"You're in Egypt," replied the man with the same accent, "just outside of Giza, if you want to know."

Tea nodded her head. She examined the area around her. It was a very plain room with white walls with only one window. The floor had a plaited design with yellow and white, and the small bed she was laying in was also yellow. There was a petite fan by the door. It did not seem like the room was well taken care of, because almost everywhere the paint was chipping and there was dust all over the place.

"I'm sorry for the lack of appeal in here, miss," stated the woman, looking at her feet. "This is the guest room, and we aren't very rich, if you catch my drift…."

Tea smiled. "It's okay, I don't mind. I'm just grateful for you saving me."

This time it was the man's turn to speak up. "It isn't I you should be thanking, it should be Maat," he said, pointing out the window to a camel chained to a stake in the sand. "She kept insisting to go that way, even though I was heading out for Cairo…." He laughed. "She's persistent, that one. But it's a good thing she is, eh? I probably wouldn't have found you, Miss Gardner."

"Tea's just fine," she said, grinning, "and I pay my gratitude to Maat and your family for taking me in. I would have been in an even worse situation if you hadn't."

"Oh, it's no problem at all," replied the women, beaming. "It's nice to have visitors once in a while; not a lot of people live near here and its good to see new faces around the house."

There was silence for a short period until the lady exclaimed, "Oh! We forgot to introduce ourselves! I am Isis, and that is my husband, Neo."

"Pleased to meet you," remarked Tea. 

"Say, where are you from? You have an accent that I've never heard before."

"Japan."

"Japan?" cried Neo. "How did you get from there all the way to the middle of the Egyptian desert?"

Tea sweatdropped, feeling uncomfortable. "It's a long story…."

Isis frowned, but did not push the subject. Instead, she said, "Well, I suppose you should to get to Giza, yes? There are many resources there that can help you out on your journey."

Tea got up and nodded in approval. "Ai, I should do that. How far is it from here?"

"Not far at all," replied Neo, "You could walk there. However, if you don't feel up to it, I could give you a ride on Maat…."

Tea held up her hands. "No, it's okay; I'll walk. I feel fine now thanks to your wonderful healing." Isis blushed and Neo smiled.

"Well," said Isis, "if you do wish to walk, please, allow us to give you some money." She handed her some Egyptian pounds. "You won't get anywhere without these."

Tea looked at the money in her hand and started to protest. "Oh, but—"

Neo shook his head. "You need that money Tea; they don't accept yen here. And we know you're a good person; you'll put it to good use."

Tea reluctantly gave in and sighed. She said goodbye to Isis and Neo (hugging Isis, who blushed), and waving as she exited the home, trekked out onto the road. She could see the bustling of Giza just a little ahead of her, and thinking of Sheantu and how he might be watching, walked a little faster through the own town's crowd. 

But it was the sight of one person who was leaning over to look at the merchandise at a stand that made her stop dead in her tracks.

"Ryou?"

***********************************************************************

Yami: *looks around* Well, seeing as no one's here…. I guess I gotta say REVIEW! For Star's sake anyway…. They do make her happy *hint hint* Thank you!


End file.
